The Force Unleashed: The Joral Chronicles
by Leasia
Summary: Starkiller and the Dark Clone are set on a collision course. If Starkiller prevails it means leaving the Empire behind and starting a new life with Juno outside the Empire and no one will ever know what he did. If the Dark Clone wins Luke will never have stood a chance in getting close to his Father to bring him back.
1. Chapter 1

_His face stared back him. Identical, in every way except for the malice and contempt. It was him should he ever join the Dark Side. The Dark Clone was his opposite…he pointed at Starkiller._

 _"I'm coming for you."_

 _"I know." Said Starkiller back to him._

 _"My Master doesn't like to leave his business unfinished." The Dark Clone reached forward again with his hand outstretched. "I'll find you wherever you are." The connection broke between them…but the Force wasn't finished with him yet._

 _Starkiller saw a few faces, kids he did not recognize in front of a home on a world that certainly wasn't this one. Only the certainty that he should go there permeated the vision._

 _"Go there you must." It was Yoda's voice. He turned and saw the diminutive but powerful Jedi standing there._

 _"You never told me who you were when we met." Starkiller said to him lifting an eyebrow._

 _"Need to know you did not," replied Yoda. "And now as you said before…to the ends of the Galaxy if you must. And certainly you must. But what is required is not the ends of the galaxy, but the edges of the Empire."_

 _"I don't understand." Said Starkiller._

 _"Meet him you must if the Dark side is to fall. There is no chance otherwise."_

 _"Vader?"_

 _"No, yourself, or who you used to be. Him." The Dark Clone, there was no one else who could match that description. Understanding began to dawn on Starkiller. But he could not see the complete picture._

 _"Famous you will never be," said Yoda again. His voice sounded sad, almost regretful._

 _"I never wanted that," said Starkiller thinking of Juno. "I have to leave her."_

 _"No," said Yoda, "She must go as well. What you have done not many will know but alone you will not be." He smiled and vanished. Starkiller drifted into an uneasy sleep. Juno was the last person he would ever want to endanger but it seemed that the Force was requiring just that._

The two men walked the length of the hallway. There was one long window letting the light in from the stars into the dimly lit hall as they walked the length of it. One was older with his white hair done up in a topknot, the other was a young man with brown hair cut short, hands clenching at his sides as he made a decision.

"Kota, I have to leave." Starkiller faced his friend, and master although you would never say their relationship had ever been one of master and Padawan. Starkiller had long been trained in the Force before Kota had ever met him.

The Older Jedi General had been preparing for a raid. He'd kept Starkiller's return a secret. Very few people knew he was alive. Even Juno had taken a reprieve for the moment after being debriefed by Princess Leia. Claiming the need to recover from her injuries, but promising to be ready in the moment she was needed, Juno Eclipse effectively had taken a back seat. There were no ships currently ready for command at the moment and she'd made it known she was content to pilot the Rogue Shadow for the time being. Her absence was noticed and felt the most by General Ackbar whom she'd recruited. The General hadn't dug too deeply, a fact that Starkiller remained grateful for.

"You can't run boy! We have a war, if you haven't noticed." Kota wasn't happy. The last time he'd said this to him, Starkiller had immediately returned for him after having a vision and they'd gone off to rescue Juno from Darth Vader together.

Starkiller hated what he was doing but he didn't feel like he had a choice. This was the path that was laid out before him and he was going to have to walk it.

"You don't understand. The dark clone is still out there." He tried again.

This sobered Kota up quickly. "Are you sure? I thought we destroyed them all." He paused. "You really believe there is another clone out there?"

"Vader escaped…" Starkiller took a breath. "He didn't escape alone or without help."

"Yes, but he was assisted by a Bounty Hunter." Kota crossed his arms, not really wanting to believe that Vader had cloned Jedi users but the evidence was standing in front of him telling him to reconsider.

"You know the Bounty Hunter wasn't the only one who assisted him."

When the General didn't respond, Starkiller continued. "I know he's out there." He paused. "Kota I've seen him. I need to draw him away. He's far more powerful…No one here stands a chance against him. Not even you."

Kota bristled at this. "I know I told you a Force vision this strong was probably a true one before…"

"He will come for me." Starkiller said firmly. "You guys will have Vader to deal with, but the clone will come for me. I've seen it. Vader is not going to just let me get away. He's always got a backup plan. He's always been one step ahead of us. Trust me when I say this. He is going to send the Dark clone for me." He paused again. "You know he doesn't like to leave things unfinished. He's meticulous, almost obsessively tying up loose ends, and always likes to be in control. He'll see this through until the end."

Kota said nothing. In the past he would have railed against Starkiller whenever the two differed on missions. He'd certainly done that on multiple occasions. While he knew the dark clone had existed he was not ready to admit it. They'd known the clone was one way of destroying the legacy that the original Galen Marek had left behind but for some reason the clone hadn't been seen by anyone living.

Yet….

Kota finally nodded…his face grim. The truth of what Starkiller was saying dawned on him. "May the Force be with you, boy." The last word was said with more affection than Starkiller was used to hearing, the last time he'd heard it from Kota it had been filled with derision and sarcasm.

Starkiller started to turn away when Kota stopped him. "Juno?"

"She's coming with me."

He nodded again, grimacing. "I'm losing you both."

Starkiller nodded, turned away and then turned around and awkwardly embraced the Old General. Kota who had never been one to give hugs returned it just as awkwardly. Neither had ever been the hugging kind. They broke apart and Kota raised his eyebrows at him.

Starkiller smiled and said, "She's rubbing off on me."

"Do you know how this will end boy?" Kota said suddenly. In Starkiller's mind came the echoing voice of Juno when she'd ask him, _no his template_ , the same question aboard the Rogue Shadow. "Will I ever see either of you again?" Again, he could hear Juno's voice asking the same question.

He shook his head at Kota not trusting himself to speak one last time. Kota nodded at him. He understood the pull the Force had on Starkiller. As much as he wanted to use the boys power against the Empire he could feel the Force drawing Starkiller elsewhere. The whispers of a new hope to face Vader had started as well as the rumors of other surviving Jedi coming out of the shadows. But Starkiller's path lay elsewhere and for whatever reason Kota knew he would have to let him go. Not that he had to like it. But he also knew when Starkiller's mind was made up there was no turning back.

He turned and walked away. A single tear slipped down the old general's cheek before he wiped it away and straightened his shoulders. They were both rubbing off on him. But he had a raid to plan. And they had their own much more dangerous quarry to flush out.


	2. Chapter 2

AJ awoke again the dream fading into the night. Connor also popped up from the floor wide awake where he was lying next to him. By instinct they both turned to each other even though neither could see the other very well.

"The same again?" Connor asked into the darkness.

"The man with the blue lightsaber?" AJ replied.

Connor nodded. For weeks they'd dreamed of the same man. Having the same visions together.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know." Connor whispered. "What if it doesn't mean anything?"

"But they've started happening during the day." AJ replied. "They have to mean something. Won't people notice?"

Connor looked up into the gloom. "I don't know."

They could hear the breathing of BJ and Caohdan in their shared room. It was black but the light from Kelusia's twin moons Iblis and Ivaine cast a white light through the window. AJ could make out Connor's outline in the darkness.

"Both moons are out." Connor observed. "Maybe the old people are right. People act funny when both full moons are out."

"That's just women," AJ muttered. He laid back down and stared at the ceiling. His eyes drooped as he fell asleep. Once again the dream flared up.

 _The man sat on a tree branch in front of him, his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. He had brown hair and eyes, wearing a gray shirt with belts strapped around his chest for carrying his lightsabers. He stared at them holding up his hands and started to speak…._

AJ's eyes popped open. A quick glance at Connor told him Connor had also seen the strange scene. They stared at each other.

"What does it mean?" Connor whispered into the darkness.

"Forget that part," said AJ, "Who is he? And when are we going to sleep normally again?"

The next morning brought all four boys to the river to fish. Connor and AJ were both groggy from waking up so much during the night, but BJ and Caohdan were none the worse for the wear.

His older brother and their cousins were holding their cane poles just like everyone else on the river. Caohdan was just not having any success. His lack of patience probably contributed to most of his failure. Not many five year olds have the patience to wait for a fish to bite.

He stared at the fish in the water, willing them to come closer to his bait. In his mind he wanted to just snatch the fish out of the water with his bare hands. That would show everyone that he could fish! He stared at the fish he could barely see hitting the surface, in their search for insects, and concentrated. The air prickled around him… he felt as if he were reaching out with his arm which was extended as the other hand grasped the pole... He ignored the rest of the group, any other people from Shantytown, the flies and gnats buzzing collectively around any moving targets…

…and concentrated on the fish.

And suddenly the fish came flying out of the water and hit him in the face. He stared at it, flopping on the bank. His five years of life had not prepared him what had just happened.

He awoke out of his reverie and dropped down and grasped the flopping fish by the tail grinning. He held the fish up in his hands. Suddenly he was aware of all the eyes staring at him. There were a few mouths hanging open downstream. He held the fish up to his oldest cousin BJ who was staring at him with a strange expression on his face.

"I got it!" He exclaimed joyfully. He couldn't understand why everyone was staring at him with suspicious expressions on their faces.

"What just happened?" One of the men stared at him, eyes narrowed.

"Well, there is something you don't see every day!" BJ shouted turning away to the other men fishing. "The fish trying to get away from you just leapt into his arms! I guess it is Caohdan's lucky day!"

There were some relaxed smiles. BJ grinned and turned back to Caohdan as the normal buzz of insects could be heard over the low monotone of those trying to fish the river.

"Not another word about it." On BJ's face was a trace of fear Caohdan had never seen before.

Caohdan didn't understand.

"But BJ, I could pull them out of the water with my mind," he started. "I'll show you, watch…"

"No!" BJ said taking the fish and grabbing Caohdan by the arm. "We're going. Now!"

His brother and cousin standing a few feet away nodded. They took their fishing rods immediately out of the water and packed up whatever fish they had caught into a small bucket. It wasn't much but it was something.

BJ was already walking Caohdan away from the river while Caohdan was still clutching the fish. He was protesting vigorously.

"But I could have pulled all of those fish out of the water for us!"

"Look you could but you shouldn't!" BJ whispered furiously, trying to keep Caohdan from talking too loudly. "Keep your voice down already!"

"Why?"

"Because you are a Force sensitive, we're all Force sensitives!" BJ waved his arms over his head in frustration. "I do not know how or why all four of us are. You know what happens to Force sensitives."

And Caohdan did know. Force Sensitives were a mysterious group of people, plucked from their families by the Empire's Inquisitors. Some people thought it was an honor, but those taken were rarely seen or heard from again.

Connor and AJ came puffing up behind them dragging their rods and fishing baskets.

"Not a word of this to anyone." BJ finally said to Caohdan as the other two boys joined them.

"But…" Caohdan still had so many questions.

"Not a word." BJ said firmly.

"Wait," he said, "looking at BJ again. "You can do it to?"

"Yes." BJ whispered. He gave Caohdan a hard look. "Didn't I just say that?"

It was tough being a Force sensitive after order 66 came through. Many took to hiding out at the edge of the Empire on the outer planets where it was easier to hide among the lawless or simply escape the Empire altogether. Going outside the Empire was another unknown in itself. There were plenty of other groups outside the Galactic Empire but no one was going to challenge the Empire directly. Hence the boys lived on the outer rim of planets on an under developed world called Kelusia.  
BJ was the oldest, his real name was Benjamin Joral but to his brother and their two cousins he was just BJ. His younger brother was named Connor Joral, and their cousins AJ or Aidan Joral, and AJ's younger brother Caohdan Joral. Connor refused to be called CJ.  
Their parents were long gone...  
At 12 BJ was in charge, he kept strict rules. No one outside their family was to know they had any Force ability. His biggest fear was being caught by someone who would turn them in to the nearest Imperial Post. In the past someone would have taken them to the Jedi academy. But with the academy gone, no one on a backwater planet in the outer rim of the Empire really knew what happened to anyone caught using the Force.

All anyone really knew was the Inquisitors came and went with the Emperor's blessing.

BJ was determined that they not be caught. They had no real future other than as outlaws but he was determined that their future would be one of their own choosing.

BJ alone remembered his parents the most, he remembered running from Inquisitors, escaping, arriving on Kelusia. Connor had been a toddler as had his cousin AJ. Caohdan had been an infant. They'd arrived on Kelusia without their parents as refugees. Many of those in the Shanty towns were all refugees from elsewhere.

Their parents had left the Jedi temple. They married sometime after that and had gone into hiding when the Order came through. BJ was never sure of the details completely.

BJ pushed the memory away of their deaths. HE did not want to remember how they happened. He knew they were gone. That's all there was to know. It was a burden he kept to himself. His brother Connor, and cousin AJ had snatches of memories of their parents but nothing as clear as BJ.

The Force had kept them alive, BJ had learned to use it out of necessity to keep himself and his sibling alive. Stealing milk and cloths for a baby was easy when you could just lift them out of whatever merchant had them. BJ promised that someday he would repay those he'd stolen from but leaving his baby cousin to be raised by strangers was not an option for him. Especially now in light of the fact that Caohdan was a Force Sensitive. BJ was, his brother and cousin both were. There had been no reason for BJ to believe that his younger cousin would remain untouched, so he held onto him instead of letting him be adopted into a new family. The fear that Caohdan would be "honored" with a visit from an Inquisitor was too much for BJ to bear.

And it turned out, he'd been right to do so.


	3. Chapter 3

The warm Kelusian sun warmed BJ's cheeks and the wind ruffled his brown hair. It was early yet and he was up making a few extra Imperial credits helping vendors set up shop. He'd be back later that day to help a few of them pack up again.

He had a quick mind and was hoping one of the vendors would ask him to be apprenticed to them. The Force made it easy to pack them up quickly, and it helped that he had ambition. Most saw him as a quick learning street kid and that is the way he preferred it.

Still a steady income wouldn't be amiss.

He loaded a box onto his back, held it in place with his mind and moved forward. Pilcha's earthen wares wouldn't take long and then he'd be on to Hara's leather and Ching's machine shop. All those merchants arrived at different times. Helping was easy.

A few hours later his pockets jingling he walked to the food market with a rumbling stomach. Helping in the markets was the best way to get news. Off worlders came and went. There were surprisingly quite a few as of late.

His belly growled loudly as he spotted an apple. It rocked slightly on the table as a large Imperial Vessel landed in the distance. BJ noted the ship with a nervous glance and then turned back towards the apple.

BJ glanced around to see if anyone would notice, lifted his right hand and the apple shot into it quickly. Feeling a little guilty over his theft of the apple he floated a decicred into its pot and turned away glancing around to make sure no one had seen what he'd done.

As he turned away a man bumped into him. "Oh excuse me!" The man said in an accent BJ couldn't place. BJ started to dismiss him as an Off-Worlder but the man stared at him with such an intensity that BJ felt as if he was being probed.

"It's all right." He started to turn away, the man's eyes burned holes into him. Suddenly he smiled. BJ didn't like the look of his smile. It was predatory.

He was a well-dressed man in a black uniform which generally signified a man of importance within the Imperial government. BJ did not know which part though from any of his insignias.

"I was rather hoping someone would point me in the direction of Di'Bashi's castle. I'm here on important business with him."

"It's there," BJ pointed towards the dark spires in the distance.

"Thank you," the man's smile did not reach his eyes. BJ shuddered looking for a polite way to break the conversation off.

Suddenly the strange man dropped a large bag of coins into BJ's hand, more money than BJ had ever seen in his life.

"My thanks," he said gruffly. Again the eyes studied him as if waiting for something and then with a shrug he turned away.

BJ swallowed hard, a bit shaken over the encounter. The bag disappeared into his pocket and he spied a bag of oranges. Putting the strange man out of his mind he strode over to the rare treat. He couldn't wait to bring them home to his brother and cousins.

There was a military post where clone troopers were stationed on Kelusia. They did mostly keep the peace but the man in charge, one Akeron Di'Bashi certainly didn't mind the illegal activities. While maintaining that he was loyal to the distant Emperor he maintained tight control of his own little Empire on planet Kelusia.  
The boys lived in a shanty town outside the main city of Dashed. The shanties were mostly constructed of duraplast and local wood cobbled together to form comfortable little homes. They shared such a home with the Jo'Baks, a family of three that allowed them to stay in one of the rooms.

AJ and Connor hunted in the forests. Kelusia did sport some impressive forests and plenty of game. If anyone but Di'Bashi had been in charge the place would probably have been a thriving planet. As it was it was a great place for hiding if you were a Force sensitive. There was plenty of wildlife and if you knew how to hunt and stay away from the law the odds were you were not going to go hungry.  
"What have you got this time?" Caohdan asked AJ as they approached the shanty house. BJ was in town and the two older boys had gone hunting. Caohdan stayed with a neighbor and their daughters.  
"Two Biktins!" Connor replied, smiling in triumph. AJ held one bird up and Connor the other. Caohdan smiled. "I'll get wood!"  
Em, the mother who they stayed with came out and saw their catch. "Will you be needing that cooked, then?" She asked smiling. AJ nodded and both of them handed the birds over.  
"Allana go with Caohdan and get some fire wood." Em Ja'bok smiled and sat down to pluck the biktins and prepare it to roast. Like many in the shanty town she was poor but she looked after the boys like they were her own. But she had no idea about their Force abilities. They'd kept that a secret and let her assume that the streets had made them extremely good at hunting. Life for the moment was good for all of them. At least right now they did not go hungry.  
Em had one daughter that lived with her. The boys were very fond of her and she them. Her husband Joran Ja'Bok worked in town as a mechanic for small air craft. It was a poor job but better than nothing. He had objected to the boys' presence until they started putting meat on the table. Then he said nothing, continuing to work every day for a few credits and coins, eating the game the boys provided albeit grudgingly. None of the boys trusted him, but he allowed them the roof and that was what they needed.  
BJ came in the door just as Caohdan and Allana returned with some firewood. Allana bounced over and hugged him shyly as he was the big brother to her, if not by blood then by situation. He grinned and produced a bag of cabbage and carrots for them. Allana groaned when she saw it. He grinned at her and tossed her the bag, which she caught with a grimace.  
"And now for my next trick," BJ said and popped out a bag of apples.  
Connor shot up grinning. "BJ, how did you manage that?"  
"Rich guy came in, paid a lot of coin for directions today." BJ smiled. "I was in the right place at the right time." He jingled his pocket. "Still some left over."  
AJ pointed to Em who was smiling as she plucked the second Biktin. "We didn't do so badly ourselves."  
Caohdan grinned and puffed out his chest. "And I was good today." Em smiled at him.

"Yes you were, very good Caohdan!"

That meant that he had managed to conceal his Force abilities. As much as they wanted to tell Em they didn't trust her husband Joran to keep their secret.  
There was a price on all Force sensitives. You find one, you let the outposts know. An Inquisitor traveled from the center of the Empire to collect them. Sometimes they just showed up to get you. BJ didn't know how they'd managed to stay hidden so long. He supposed there was some way to sense their presence. But Kelusia wasn't exactly important and was currently just a backwater world which served their purposes just fine at the moment.  
AJ was deep in thought. "What is it?" Connor asked him.  
"Who was the rich man asking for directions?" He said, a little fearfully.  
BJ shrugged. "Not sure, not someone official though." _He didn't notice me._ It went unsaid.

AJ continued to look down and BJ put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Dreams again?"

"Yeah…" AJ and Connor both had been having dreams of running into a man. They didn't know who he was and whether or not he was friendly but he always appeared to them in the woods. They knew that the vision came from the Force but were never sure what to do with suspected it was someone they should watch out for and avoid.

"Last night?" BJ asked.

AJ nodded. "BJ, I am not sure who this man is that we keep seeing. But what if he does show up? I don't think there is anything we could do to stop him."

BJ grimaced. "We'll see." He glanced around the home. "Let's go wash up."

The shanty town was dirty and dusty and BJ begged Em off to go have his brothers and cousins wash their hands for dinner. Allana was very busy picking up feathers and discarding them outside in a burn pile. The burning feathers smelled awful and the boys were wrinkling their noses in their hurry to get away from the stench.  
Washing their hands usually took them to the creek that ran outside the shanty town and into the forest. It was dangerous for anybody but BJ had once kept a large Feline known as a Madisra at bay with his Force ability. He'd been so afraid someone had seen them he almost took them all into the forest to live. The locals had blamed the mess they'd found there on the rutting season of some extremely large Bovines called Wobegangs that also inhabited the area.  
He turned to Caohdan. "We can practice for a few moments if you like, Caohdan."

Caohdan grinned and sat down in front of BJ. These were the moments he loved the most right now. He hated having to hide what he considered the best thing that had ever happened to him. BJ kept him at ease by taking him out under different pretenses so he could learn to control his ability.

He concentrated on a rock as AJ and Connor kept watch.  
The rock began to lift easily off the ground. Caohdan grinned, and BJ looked astonished. "Are you sure you haven't been practicing on your own?"

"I have not been practicing!" Caohdan protested. BJ paused for a moment as a strange feeling began to come over him. He felt almost compelled to believe Caohdan. More than that, he wanted to believe it more than anything ...he was almost certain of it in fact.  
He snapped out of it. "Hey! That is a mind trick used by Jedi! How did you do that?"  
Caohdan stopped for a moment. "I don't know. I just really wanted you to believe that I haven't been practicing."  
BJ nodded. He felt a bit disturbed. He wondered how strong Caohdan actually was, to be able to perform such a feat now. It was a trick he'd never tried himself...the rock was still floating in the air as footsteps sounded. "Someone is coming," Connor whispered. The rock clattered to the ground and Allana emerged from the grasses.  
"Mom says to hurry." Allana said. "Dinner is finished and there are troops out and about. You don't want to be caught out here after dark."

Di'Bashi didn't necessarily care about the Shanty towns outside of his City but he did maintain a strict curfew for the residents.  
All of the kids took off at a run, BJ bringing up the rear to make sure Caohdan kept up. Although he needn't have worried. Caohdan could sprint with the rest of them and BJ was slightly worried that his young cousin was using the Force a little more than he let on.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day brought clear skies to the Shanty town. Joran had already left for work bright and early. Allana was sitting quietly by the small fire, heating the remnants of the Biktin from last night.  
BJ was up dragging his brothers and cousins out of bed. "Heading off to the woods to hunt!" He called to Em. Normally he would have gone to the market place but the dreams his brother and cousin were sharing, the tired expressions on both AJ and Connor's faces, and his younger cousin's ability to persuade him yesterday made him want to take them out and lay some ground rules.

Joran too had been acting strangely. Not that Joran was a big fan of the boys. BJ's mind flashed back to the day they met. Em had greeted them warmly but Joran had almost forbidden them entrance to his home. If it weren't for the fact that all three of the older boys each had a Biktin in hand he would never have let them in. Proving they could help put food on the table for the rest of them had made it a little easier.  
Connor groaned but Caohdan followed eagerly out the door. His first hunt! He was more than excited. AJ followed behind his little brother still thinking over the "rich man" BJ had gotten money from.  
His intuition was telling him that this was important to them but he didn't know anything else. He was quiet as they entered the forest. Far from the shanty town they walked deeper into the woods. It was the only place they could practice with the Force without being seen although it was risky.  
"Caohdan tell me how often do you use the Force? How often do you use it to make you faster or stronger than you usually are?"  
Caohdan shrugged as he walked. "Usually just when I can't keep up." He admitted. "That's it. Everyone thinks I am a really fast runner."  
BJ sighed and turned to Connor and AJ.  
"Anyone nearby?"  
"Haven't heard or seen anything." Connor replied, while AJ just shook his head.  
"Ok." BJ looked at the tree in front of him. He reached out with the ability and grabbed a low level branched and snapped it off. Then he turned to Caohdan. "Your turn little man."  
Caohdan grinned and concentrated hard on the tree. The next branch up began to shake.  
"Don't tear it off," Said BJ patiently. "Think of it as a knife slicing through butter. It's just atoms anyway. Separate them."  
Caohdan nodded and suddenly a rent appeared in the tree and the branch tumbled to the ground, but instead of just tearing the branch off Caohdan had put a gash in the tree.  
"Too big of a knife, little brother," AJ commented smiling.

"BJ?" Caohdan said suddenly. "What's an atom?"

BJ sighed, his cousin's education was severely lacking due to their circumstances. He was certain all of them were behind but there was no school here. Unless you were apprenticed and learned a trade.  
Connor froze in place. "Biktin." He said excitedly.  
"Connor," BJ snapped, "we can get them in a bit, and we need to practice."  
Connor schooled himself with a grin. His stomach rumbled though and AJ snickered at him.  
Suddenly all of them felt a powerful presence. Having never sensed another Force user before they were all stunned. They didn't know what to make of it.  
They saw no one yet through the trees but no one could deny that this presence felt them and was heading toward them. It was reaching out to them, almost calling them.  
Even Caohdan sensed it.

"What is that?" Connor whispered fearfully.  
"I don't know," BJ replied reluctantly. Thinking of the man in the market, he made a decision. "But I think we may have to run for it."  
"I think it's the rich guy from earlier," AJ said, voicing BJ's concerns out loud. "Are you certain he didn't know who you were?"  
"He didn't sense me." BJ replied, but stopped. How much did any of them know about a well-trained Force user way out here? They were sitting biktins. He'd hoped they'd have more time to grow up and leave the planet on their own as there was no one to take children off Kelusia.  
"Run," he whispered. "Deeper into the forest."  
All of them ran, this time no one was hesitant about using the Force to get away. Augmented by fear and the Force each boy leapt through at a speed impossible for an ordinary man to exceed. The presence receded back from them for a time. It seemed to sense their sudden fear.

The forest grew dark and they all knew that on Kelusia there were plenty of creatures out after dark that you didn't want to meet. While they were confident they could handle it they weren't taking any chances tonight.  
"Climb a tree?" AJ suggested. Connor nodded but instead of climbing he vaulted up into the thickest limb from the ground. BJ opened his mouth and then shut it. Reminding them not to uses the Force was a moot point at this time. Someone had found them. The question was how long did they have?

They were on the run, and there were other things to worry about.

He vaulted up followed by AJ and Caohdan. The branch was wide enough to walk on, so they leapt higher.  
"We really should build a treehouse out here." Connor said quietly surveying the area. They were far from the town.  
"I don't think we'll be staying long," AJ said to him settling down. Caohdan came over and laid down next to his brother and put his head on his shoulder and started to cry. The older boys sometimes forgot that he was just five years old.  
"Will we see Em and Allana again?" he sobbed into AJ's shoulder. AJ wasn't sure what to say so he hugged him. BJ looked over at him.  
"I think it is better we stay hidden for a while little man. Safer for them anyway. We will only get them in trouble."  
They all felt the same as Caohdan though. In the complete darkness only Caohdan got any sleep after he cried himself out. The rest tossed fitfully, awaking at every noise.


	5. Chapter 5

The red dawn that greeted them brought the giant Wobegangs under their branches making the trees shake. The Wobegangs were giant fur covered creatures, with large tusks protruding from their lower jaw and shaggy brown coats. They stood taller than 3 men and had bad tempers. The boys sat still making no noise as the creatures passed. Startling them could cause a stampede and Wobegangs were perfectly capable of taking down trees.  
AJ stretched and wondered what the giant bovine tasted like.  
"Let's stick to Biktin." Connor said following his line of thought even as his stomach rumbled in betrayal.  
"There won't be much of those nearby with the Wobegang traipsing through," AJ muttered, his stomach growling in unison. He froze in place suddenly stiffening.

"What is it?" Connor asked turning around.

And then he saw him.

Across from them was a man. He had very short cut brown hair, brown eyes and his clothes were mended over and over. He wore a few belts around his waist from which hung to metal cylinders.  
 _Lightsabers?_ AJ wondered.  
"Good guess," the man said smiling. At the sound of his voice BJ and Caohdan woke up. The man held up his empty hands. On them he wore thin fingerless gloves over callused hands. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
"Who are you?" BJ demanded. He positioned himself in front of the other boys and made an attempt to look menacing.  
"You can call me Starkiller." The man said. He surveyed them. "Took me long enough, I didn't realize you'd go so far." He smiled.

BJ was still suspicious but suddenly he noticed that AJ and Connor were just sitting there with their mouths hanging open not making a sound. Both were pale.

"You!" AJ managed shakily as he turned to BJ.

Connor whispered. "It's him."

BJ glanced back at Starkiller. "What do you want from us?" He demanded.

Starkiller paused and considered his answer quickly. What did he want from them? _Why I am here_? "Short answer? I don't know. I know I am supposed to save some Force sensitives."

Connor nodded. His dreams made sense now…if the man was indeed saving Force Sensitives. "Are you with the Rebellion?" He asked suddenly.

Starkiller winced. "It's complicated…"  
"You'll take us off world?" BJ interrupted and was suddenly hopeful. This was their

Chance, their chance to get off of Kelusia, out into the black.  
"Yes if you want to come." Starkiller grew serious. "I wouldn't wait too long though...Kelusia is only a backwater because of its distance from the center of the Empire, it is rich in resources, and apparently Force Sensitives. The Emperor has turned his eye this way. I don't know why."

Secretly Starkiller wondered if he was the cause. He certainly never wanted to face the Emperor and Darth Vader again. He would not survive a third encounter.

Plus he was a loose end that needed to be snipped.  
They all looked up him with hope. "You can sense us." BJ said finally breaking the silence. "And if you can so can others."  
"Yes." Starkiller didn't lie.

"There was a man in the market yesterday, he came in off the Empire ships that have been landing here…he gave me a large bag of coins…."

"Where is it?" Starkiller asked suddenly, concerned. Any tracking device could be hidden in a bag of coins.

"I left it back with Em," BJ answered. "I didn't think about grabbing it, we wouldn't have had any use for it out here."

"I'm not going without Em or Allana," Caohdan said suddenly, having not said a word up to this point. Starkiller pivoted to face the five year old whom he'd forgotten was there for a few moments.

BJ was about to argue with him when Starkiller spoke up first.  
"Take me to them. That man could have planted a tracker in there to find you later."

Starkiller looked down below him at the immense creatures passing below. He could simply weave in and out of them to get back.

Connor looked down at the Wobegangs as Starkiller dropped down silently among them. They all cringed knowing the volatile natures of the Wobegangs in a way that Starkiller did not. Although he was perfectly still and the beasts took no notice of him yet.

BJ looked at the others and then dropped quickly down next to Starkiller and put a finger to his lips slowly swiveling his head. Starkiller followed his lead amazed at the huge creatures but not getting too close.  
"Juno." He spoke into his com. "I'm heading back your way. There are more than we thought here. Better make plenty of room."

The nearest creature froze in place and snorted. BJ brought his hand up and face palmed as several more beasts froze. It did not take much to set Wobegangs off and they appeared startled now. Starkiller froze for a moment, himself startled and looked down at BJ who motioned _UP_ with his eyes. Suddenly BJ found himself being flung upwards into the trees violently landing in the branches next to Connor with Starkiller leaping up next to them. The others grasped the branches for dear life as the ground began to rumble. All knew what a Wobegang stampede meant.

 _"_ _Juno to Starkiller, there seems to be a lot of movement in your area, several large creatures are stampeding, are you all right?"_

"Tell her to shut it!" BJ snapped loudly as the creatures below grow more agitated and began to run.  
"Fine Juno!" Starkiller called into the Commlink on his wrist. "But can you wait to contact us again. You're setting the…the…"

"Wobegangs?" Connor supplied, grasping a branch for dear life.

"Wobegangs…off…just hold off while I get us out of here." He switched it off as the beasts came at the trees. "They're vegetarians I hope?" He said glancing at BJ.

"Yes," said BJ in a loud whisper, "but temperamental as a woman when both moons are in full face." The tree vibrated as the Wobegangs kept charging it.

"I have no idea what that means," snapped Starkiller. It was a phrase he'd never heard before but he assumed it was going to get ugly before it got better.

"Let's get away from here," AJ said holding Caohdan's one hand and the tree with another, "You know they won't stop for a while, we need to move away from, the direction they're going in."

"We're going to have to go down and through," said BJ wobbling. A loud crack sounded. "Then we can go up again, these aren't nearly big enough to hold us or hide us from them."

"You're kidding, right?" Starkiller asked. The branches were wide enough for them to stand on but not strong enough to stay standing?

"On three," said Starkiller but before he could even start to count the tree toppled over spilling them onto the ground. They all found themselves inside a herd of stampeding beasts who'd lost their target and were just now running for their lives.

Starkiller snatched up a screaming Caohdan and yanked the other three boys to their feet with the Force. "Run!"

"This way!" BJ pointed. Together they sprinted dodging and weaving between the animals' legs. He felt his lungs would burst and suddenly a familiar grove was in front of them. "There!" He shouted. He leapt up into the air using the Force managed to fling himself up. Suddenly Starkiller was there next to him dropping Caohdan into his arms as he turned and stretched out both hands and pulled. A startled Connor and then AJ came flying out of the herd and landed on the branch next to them.

"Absolutely quiet," BJ said to them in a whisper, "they aren't charging this way yet, so once they pass we can go." The creatures were moving away from them heading south.

It was a long wait. Caohdan stared up at Starkiller in awe in almost worshipful silence.

Starkiller sat staring at the passing Wobegangs in fascination. He'd battled many creatures before that he thought were terrifying. But these creatures attacking in a herd like this, he'd never be able to hold them all off. They were mindless once enraged. Lesson learned he thought. _Find out as much about the local wildlife as possible before I go charging in._

BJ stared hard at him. He didn't need the Force to read the boy's thoughts. Was he their salvation or their doom? But the bad thing was, even Starkiller didn't know the answer to that question.

 _These were the boys from the vision but what now?_


	6. Chapter 6

They entered the Shanty town sprinting.  
The first person they ran into was Em who grabbed them all in a furious hug and berated them despite their offerings.  
"I don't care how much food you brought!" She scolded. "I was worried sick!"  
Starkiller stopped and faced Em. Em was a short woman with long blond hair, gray eyes and glasses. She wore a pale white dress belted in the center over brown boots. Her sleeves hung down to her wrists loose, and other than a leather string which she used to hold her hair back she did not wear any other decoration.

She took in the dirty disheveled appearance of the boys and then the man who stood slightly behind them.

Em paled when she saw him. "Who are you?" She demanded.  
"You're a Force Sensitive." Was his reply.  
"So are you." She replied.  
"...what's going on?" Joran came in through the walkway. Joran was Em's opposite, tall and dark haired, none of her calm bearing, suspicion colored his features. He wore a tan shirt belted over brown pantss and almost identical boots with a small dagger slid into the side of his right boot.  
Everything was tense and quiet for a moment. "Em!" BJ whispered, "He can take us off world!"

Then their exchange hit him as he realized what they had said to each other. He was floored to hear that Em was a Force user, he'd never sensed it, and she'd never given a hint that she knew that they were. But then again he certainly wasn't trained in the Force either.  
Em looked at Joran. He hesitated.  
"How did there come to be so many Force sensitives here?" Starkiller asked sitting down making no move to draw his lightsabers. He held his hands up in front of him at all times to make it known that he was no threat. While he sensed that Em was a Force sensitive, Joran definitely was not. The man felt of suspicion and wariness. Starkiller put those aside…living here that was probably the norm from anyone.  
Joran sighed and sat down as well. "I suspect that many of the outer rim planets hold Force users hiding out from the Empire. How did you come to look for them?" Everyone tensed at the question.  
Starkiller looked down. "I talked with Yoda once. He said to follow my vision across the Universe if I had to. I did that, but I had a vision of something else. Do you know who Luke Skywalker is?"

"No," Em said bitterly looking at her husband. "I've heard of Anakin Skywalker, but not Luke. Are they related?"  
Starkiller shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm heading out of the Empire with a few who want to go. That's a name I keep hearing whispered, a new hope."

BJ stood up then. "We're in."  
"BJ," Em said, "We should think about this."  
"No," said BJ, "I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I want to take my family out and that means all of us." He looked at Em. "You guys too."  
"Well of course we're going," said Joran. "Allana is a Force sensitive too." AJ looked up. "What?"  
Em smiled. "Here we were all hiding from each other..."

"How?" BJ asked her. "How did you not know?"

"I don't know," Em shrugged her shoulders, "I was never very strong in the Force to begin with but…I think I've always known. Now that I think about it, I just always wanted to believe otherwise, so I never even thought to bring it up. It just wasn't important."

"NOT IMPORTANT?" Joran snapped. "That could have been the most important thing we could have learned about them. We could be attracting the Imperials here as we speak."

BJ shot a sideways glance at Caohdan and was just about to speak up when he suddenly decided against it. _What do I really know about any of them_? he asked himself. _We didn't even know Em and Allana were Force sensitives until now._  
"When can we leave?" Connor said from the corner. AJ was next to him with Caohdan in front of him simply waiting. They were all looking to BJ waiting for him to make the decision.

Starkiller noticed this was surprised. He sneaked a glance over at BJ and noticed even Allana was watching for his thoughts. _This kid was clearly a leader in the making,_ he thought.  
"Now if you're ready." Starkiller responded. "Let's go."

BJ nodded.  
Em looked over at Joran. He nodded to her. She turned back to Starkiller. "Let's pack a few clothes first and walk into the docks. We can't just leave from here, everyone would see us, and they'd tear apart the Shanties looking for us. I cannot be the cause of that."  
Starkiller smiled at her. "Spoken like a true Jedi."

Em hesitated. "Are there Jedi still out there?" It was a serious question and Starkiller didn't necessarily have a good answer for her.

"Not as many as you'd like." He admitted. "A few are still helping the rebellion." He hoped he didn't ask her about anyone in particular. He'd killed two Jedi, or rather his template had killed two, and blinded a third. He turned away hoping his feelings didn't show through.

In the next hour they were at the docks. The kids were all dancing with excitement even though BJ tried to keep them calm warning them not to even think about using any ability until they were safely off world.

Starkiller was amazed in the fact that they listened at all.  
Di'Bashi was at the docks with a huge guard surrounding a ship. Starkiller had hoped to avoid the Governor of Kelusia and slip away unnoticed. He hadn't planned on doing any fighting when he got here but it looked as though he was going to get some attention whether he wanted it or not. He doubted that Juno was very happy with him at the moment. Keeping the Rogue Shadow from being seen was her job. It was still the best ship to slip away undetected. She managed to keep it in top condition despite their being on the run.  
Sighing he walked right up to the guards and said. "Is there a problem with the ship?"  
The guard turned. "A stolen vessel apparently. What business is it of yours? Move along."  
Starkiller nodded and moved back towards Joran and Em. "Their thoughts are abuzz with the possibility of Force users. Not sure what's tipping them off but it's about to get really bad here. I need you to take the kids out of here."  
He spoke into a commlink on his wrist. "Juno, I'm handing my commlink over to a man named Joran. He's going to take everyone to a safe location to be picked up. Take off, and wait for my signal, I'm going to provide a distraction."  
The link buzzed. "Galen...be careful, no big heroics."  
"Don't worry."  
He handed the link over to Joran. "Are you sure you want us to run?" Joran said quietly.  
Starkiller nodded. "Trust me, I've had much worse. Get them out of here. I can take care of this alone."  
Joran nodded in return, and the group moved off, but not before being noticed.  
"Where are you going," an all-white clad storm trooper said grabbing BJ by the arm. BJ started to pull away when the storm trooper screamed as his arm sliced off. It was a clean slice done neatly, like a giant knife through butter.

Caohdan was there next to AJ, his face screwed up in shock over what he had just done. His jaw hanging open for the moment no one moved.

BJ was the first to recover.  
"Run!" He yelled grabbing Caohdan by the arm. Caohdan was jerked off his feet still staring at what he'd just done to the storm trooper, the blood pooling from the arm on the ground. The Stormtrooper screaming as the other men in his unit stared around stupidly for a moment trying to figure out what just happened and where exactly the threat was coming from.

"Force sensitives!" Screamed Di'Bashi. The white haired, balding governor pointed a black glove in their direction. Only Starkiller remained between them and the running boys. The rest of the crowd had scattered at the sight of spurting blood.

They sprinted along the streets towards the Shanty town which was the fastest way towards the trees. There was an explosion behind them. BJ skidded to a stop with Caohdan the others running into him. He took a quick glance and noticed with some surprise that Starkiller was still standing at the center waving his lightsabers in a blue blur. He'd thrown the entire guard and Di'Bashi backwards off their feet. No one was pursuing them, they had a much bigger target on the docks now. Clone trooper bodies were piling up and BJ wondered if they would see Starkiller again after this.

They kept running.


	7. Chapter 7

They hit a clearing in the woods and Joran sent a message through the commlink. They had nothing but the clothes on their backs. Everyone was breathing hard.  
"Do you think he's all right?" AJ asked huffing from the run.  
BJ panted. "I don't know. Did you see that explosion?"  
A ship suddenly dropped into the clearing over them and the shuttle opened. A blond woman stood at the entrance. "Where is he?" She asked concerned.  
"He said he was coming." BJ answered.  
She nodded, "get in quickly." She spoke into her wrist. "Proxy take off as soon as the door is closed."  
They scrambled aboard with Juno instructing them with where to sit. She didn't bother with any formalities simply jumped into the pilot's seat and the craft began to rumble as it shot up towards the cold recesses of space.

A Metallic droid who had been steering from the right side of the ship let of the controls as she took them. It turned and surveyed the group. "Master," He said towards his own wrist. "It seems you've brought back more than you bargained for here." He cocked his head as if he was listening even though this was unnecessary. No one else heard the reply. Juno glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow and Proxy nodded at her.

BJ felt a thrill through his gut when he saw the black. This is what he'd been trying to do for years. He hoped that the man who'd helped save them survived. On the other side of the room, AJ and Connor sat having a muted conversation.

"It's him." Connor was saying.

AJ was nodding. This was new territory for them both. A vision that came to pass, and meeting the man they'd both literally been dreaming about for weeks. "He'll be back." Said AJ with a confidence that no one else was sharing.

"Why do you say that?" BJ said turning to look at them.

"We've seen it," said AJ nodding towards Connor. AJ at least felt it was time to start taking their visions seriously. Connor after a moment nodded in agreement.  
Juno waited in orbit for a few moments when a small craft pulled out into space near them. Whether she heard the talk behind her she gave no indication. Her eyes were glued to the craft in front of them.

"Juno. I'm still here." It came out of her commlink, barely audible to the rest of them, but sigh of relief went around the small cockpit they were squeezed into.  
Juno visibly relaxed. "Get on this ship right now, so we can get out of here."  
"You got it." He sounded almost cheery. She'd take him to task for scaring her again later. She watched as the small ship docked with theirs and after a few moments Starkiller's familiar face appeared in the small crowded cockpit, but before he could say a word Juno was in his arms. He pulled her close in a tight grip.

There was an embarrassed silence from the rest as they watched the two embrace.

BJ studied Juno for a moment. Her blonde hair was shoulder length and pulled back into a pony tail. She wore a green flight jacket over a tan shirt, but it was open in the front due to her belly being slightly protruding. _She's pregnant,_ he realized. Her blue eyes and pale skin were in stark contrast to Starkiller's dark hair, eyes and tanned skin.

"You're still alive?" That was Joran.

Suddenly pulled out of their moment, Starkiller released Juno and swiveled around to face the group of people he'd taken off of Kelusia. He recognized them all except for the man, Joran. Joran was the only one he hadn't seen in his visions on the strange world.

Juno laughed and moved away from him. "Let's go."

"You're good?" He said in a low voice to her as she moved back to the pilot's seat on the left and eased herself into it.

"I'm fine," she said evenly. "I'm pregnant, not sick. Stop worrying for five

minutes."

Starkiller scratched his head and turned to the droid next to her. "Proxy?"

"No one is following." The droid stood up and came forward out of the pilot seat on the right. He was a free walking robot with metallic covering, but was unlike anything they had seen anywhere else. Even Em had never seen such a droid in her earlier years spent at the temple.

"Where are we going?" Em asked. They were all squeezed into the cockpit which was barely big enough to contain them all.  
"Out there," BJ pointed out past the edge of the Empire's reach. He looked at Starkiller who smiled at him. "Out past the furthest stars." There was an excited edge to his voice when he said it. The ship turned around as Juno entered the trajectory. She smiled to herself as she heard the boy's response to the other woman.

And again, Starkiller wondered if he was their salvation or their doom.


	8. Chapter 8

Connor awoke in a sweat.  
The nightmare had left him shaken. He turned to look over at his older brother BJ sleeping next to him. In his dream he saw BJ being swept onto the shoulder on a black dressed figure carrying a red light saber and carried off. It didn't make sense, they were alone on the platform and out of nowhere he snatched up BJ.  
They were currently safe aboard the Rogue Shadow with Starkiller and Juno Eclipse somewhere else aboard the ship and their other friends/family from Kelusia.  
Connor Joral wanted to shrug it off as a bad dream. That he was just afraid of losing his brother.  
The arrival at the Dak'ti spaceport was uneventful. It was another planet on the outer rim. A little more populated than Kelusia with a larger presence of Imperial Storm Troopers.  
Starkiller was at the door with Juno next to him, speaking in whispers. He turned to them waiting impatiently by the door.  
"There is a dark presence here," he said finally. "It's not strong. But I don't want our presence advertised either. We want to get in and get what we need and get out."  
"Can't they sense us?" BJ asked.  
"They may." Starkiller replied slowly. "Which is why I'm going alone." He nodded to Juno.

"But..." BJ couldn't resist, he'd never been off of Kelusia since he could remember. "Wouldn't it be better to have some back up?"  
Starkiller looked at him. "I've found that it's not a good idea in most cases."  
Juno walked over and put a hand on BJ's shoulder. "He'll be fine." Her expression was unreadable and BJ wondered if she was telling herself that as much as she was telling him.

Starkiller emerged into the streets of Angwat on Dak'ti. He moved towards the shops letting the Force tell him their locations. He had never been to Dak'ti and he couldn't shake the fact that there was a dark Force user here somewhere. It wasn't a strong presence he knew but it could tie back to the Emperor. Maybe just an Assassin, although what one would be doing out here, he didn't know. Perhaps a rogue Force Sensitive…he hoped. Such a person would not want to be found and would stay hidden. Worst case an Inquisitor.  
They were still in the outer rim on the farthest edge of the Empire. It was entirely possible that it was a visitor from outside the Empire. Again such a person would not want to be caught here.

He rolled the possibilities over in his mind. _In and out_ , he said to himself.

BJ paced inside the Rogue Shadow. He was used to being in charge of his family and didn't like having to wait. He didn't mind Starkiller going out for them but he resented being left behind.

Proxy was maintaining the ships course while Juno was taking a rare break from the pilot seat. She'd promised Starkiller that she would. Not that she felt the need just yet.  
Juno sensed BJ's impatience and came to stand next to him. "Starkiller knows what he is doing." She said quietly.  
BJ looked up at the pilot. "Are all Jedi like him? Because if they are, I wouldn't mind being one."  
Juno winced. "There are not many Jedi like Starkiller. No one actually that I know of. But do yourself a favor. Don't call him a Jedi, he doesn't want to be one."

BJ was surprised. "Why?" All the stories traded about The Order made them larger than life, or evil, or good depending on the speaker.

Juno shrugged. "In the past Jedi lived alone except for their Padawans at the temple but they never married unless secretly." Apologetically she smiled at BJ. "He was more than adamant about not giving me up. Not even for what Kota called the greater good. And he wanted to marry me."  
BJ took this in. "Do you know where we are going?"  
She shrugged. "No, but I trust Starkiller with my life. He's saved me many times, on many occasions."  
"Why did he save us?"  
Juno paused. This was the part she wasn't sure about. "As far as I know, he met with Master Yoda. Yoda told him to rescue any Force Sensitives we found...we opted not to tell the rebellion that Starkiller was back...and... well we are supposed to be keeping low profile."

Juno paused, again not sure of how much she should tell. There were still things she didn't understand. The nature of the Force itself for instance. "The Force brought a few visions, let's just say he recognized you when he saw you. There are other things coming together. I'd have to let him explain himself."  
"What do you mean back?" BJ asked. Her story did not make a lot of sense to him just yet.  
"He is officially dead." Juno admitted..."as am I."  
"Oh..." BJ was burning with curiosity now but something told him that it was painful for Juno to talk about it, even if she was smiling at him. There was a sadness in her eyes that wasn't there when Starkiller was around. He recognized it though.

Loss. Unbearable loss.

Something he was all too familiar with.  
"Can we at least go on the landing pad and stretch our legs?" he asked again. "We can always stay on the landing pad."  
Joran came into the room. "I'll go out with them. I want to see some sun, even if it is only for a few moments." He looked tense and Juno wondered if it was just nerves.  
Juno relented. "Stay at the landing pad." She intoned.  
_

Joran was outside in an instant with the children in tow. Em joined them on the dock smiling in the sun. Her husband Joran was just as impatient to be out and about as they were. He stretched and glanced around.

"What is it?" Em asked him pleasantly. She took his hand. "You seem a bit stressed."

Joran did seem a bit out of sorts, he was somewhat pale and kept glancing around. "I'm fine," he said. "Just want to be off the ship that's all."  
BJ looked around his eyes taking in the scene. They'd never been to another planet before. They were all silent listening to the bustle of the city around them.  
Caohdan broke the silence in his five-year-old voice. "Who is that man watching us?"  
Joran turned in an instant to see a man dressed in black a few docks over watching them. Connor was stunned for a moment. His dream came back to him in a rush, _his brother tossed over a black clad shoulder. Dangling as he was hauled into a ship…_  
A minute later the man in black waved at them and smiled. Joran waved back and the tension broke. "Who was that?" AJ asked a little worried.  
"I have no idea," said Joran. "But look he's unloading children of his own. Maybe he was just glad to see another family."  
Indeed there were two boys with the man clad in black who had turned back to checking the things being loaded into their ship. The elder was human and the younger Torgrutan.  
Connor relaxed. Caohdan and Allana had started a game of tag and BJ resumed taking in the sights. There was something familiar about the man that he couldn't place. He briefly wondered if he'd seen him before and then dismissed it. They were on another world, and space was a big place.  
AJ kept his eye on the family a few docksides over. The man had disappeared but the two boys remained on the dockside.  
Starkiller returned at this moment loaded with supplies he towed behind him. Starkiller seemed wary and surprised to find them all outside the ship.  
"What's going on?" He asked quickly looking around seizing up the situation.  
"Just stretching our legs," Joran replied nervously.  
Something however was wrong... Starkiller couldn't quite put his finger on it just yet. There was a trickle of the Dark Side nearby.  
"Back inside quickly," he said, glancing around.  
Everyone ran inside except Joran who was protesting vigorously that everything was just fine.  
"Go!" Starkiller yelled again. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. He ran inside and did a headcount.  
He did the head count again. They were missing one.  
Connor was the first to notice..."where's my brother?" He shouted.  
Before Starkiller could stop him he was out of the ship again just in time to see BJ being bodily carried into the ship at the dock by the man dressed all in black.  
Connor watched helplessly as his dream unfolded in front of his eyes. Starkiller came out behind him and seizing up the situation reached out and grabbed the ship with the Force. Connor looked at him in shock as the doors were prevented from closing. By now quite a crowd was gathering to see what was wrong with the ship. Imperial troops were pouring in.  
Starkiller could have leveled the place but Juno had run out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Galen, low profile remember?" She said quietly misery on her face. She didn't like the situation either but he was supposed to be dead. "We'll follow them."  
"So we just let them go?" He said more harshly to her than he'd intended.  
"No one said anything about that." Juno said. "But we have to get all of these to safety. We can follow him and maybe get them somewhere else."

He relinquished his hold on the ship which suddenly shot into space to the protests of the Storm Troopers running in. There was nothing they could do however.  
"I don't like it," Starkiller said at last turning to her. "You don't know what happens to Force sensitives picked up by the Empire. But I do."

Juno was taken back by his angry tone but she knew it wasn't her he was angry with but himself.

"Master, if it is an Inquisitor, he may not return to the middle of the Empire right away," Proxy's voice came through his comm. Proxy was still in the front of the ship. "He will skim the outer rim using his halocron looking for more Force Sensitives."

Starkiller nodded to himself.  
Connor stood staring up at him with tears in his eyes. "I saw this happen." he sobbed.  
That stopped Starkiller in his tracks. "You saw the future?"  
"I thought it was just a dream." Connor whispered. He stared at the ground. AJ put a hand on his shoulder.  
Starkiller stood looking down at him for a moment. "Come inside," he said as the other ship took off into space. "We need to follow them."  
Juno raced up to the cock pit to help prep the ship with Proxy at her side. Starkiller sat deep in thought next to them in the back. Em and Joran were in the meditation room with the kids who were all upset at the loss of BJ. The atmosphere in the ship was a somber one.

Suddenly Starkiller appeared in the doorway of the meditation room.  
"I thought we'd have more time before I needed to start any kind of training." Starkiller said to them. "But it seems like you are going to be tested a lot sooner than I thought. I should have realized..." He paused. "You have to start training to defend yourselves now. That way something like this…you need a fighting chance."  
Em was now holding a sobbing Connor in the corner with AJ at his side.  
Starkiller came over to him and put a finger under his chin. "Hey, best way to get your brother back?," he said, "Learn to fight for him."

"How do you know we'll get him back," Connor asked.

"I've seen it," said Starkiller. He had too, they had not yet reached the place where he'd face the Dark Clone. That much he was certain. But what he did know was that BJ was there too.


	9. Chapter 9

BJ eyed the two boys with him. One was a human, the other a young Torgrutan male. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten onto the ship.

One moment he was enjoying the view off the side of landing platform and the next he was on a strange ship waking up on the floor. The two boys watched him impassively.  
"Where am I?" he asked the one closest to him.  
"We aren't supposed to talk." The young Torgrutan boy said. He was orange skinned like many of his race. His head showed the signs of the pointed crests he might one day have.  
The other boy cuffed the Torgrutan lightly. He was pale skinned, blue eyed with brown hair.  
They remained in subdued silence. BJ holding on to the hope that Starkiller would come through that door any second and subdue the man who took him.  
His heart sank as the minutes stretched and the engines began to fire up. There was a sudden shuddering of the ship and he heard a gasp and curse from the front of the cockpit. Then the ship was free and took off into space.  
Despair filled in at that moment.  
He'd never been so far from his brother or cousins in all of his life. He wondered what was happening on the Rogue Shadow right now.  
They must have entered space as the pilot came back into the room where the silent boys and BJ waited.  
He inspected BJ who was too scared to say anything.  
"You may speak now. This is Gabriel and Jesseye," he said tersely. "Get to know one another soon you are on your way to be trained as a Royal Guard soon." He smiled. "It's your lucky day."  
"This is a mistake," BJ spoke up abruptly.  
"No mistake," the man replied. "You were sold to me. A pretty penny I paid for you as well. You are definitely a Force user and will make a fine assassin."  
Anger filled BJ's thoughts.  
 _Joran._  
"Good, I can feel your anger," he continued. "Use it as a weapon, let it fuel your energies. Your training begins now."  
He left them then.  
Gabriel picked up two staffs and walked over to where BJ was sitting.  
"Here," he said.  
Gabriel was half his size and he was surprisingly well adept with the staff. BJ accepted the staff still deep and thought and was startled out of his revelry when Gabriel knocked the staff out of his hands.

"You're a bit slow on the uptake it seems," he said grinning.

He swung again but instead of contacting BJ, BJ waved his hand and sent the boy and his staff flying across the room with the force.

"How did you do that?" Gabriel said picking himself up off the floor. BJ remained silent. There was something about this 8 year old. Something that suggested he enjoyed beating someone.

"Come on!" said Gabriel lightly bouncing on his feet. "Give me a few pointers with that and I'll show you how to use this staff."

BJ raised his eye brows. Gabriel continued on. "It's a precursor to a Force Pike," he said. His excitement was palpable.

"Very well," said BJ looking at the staff in his hand. "Show me, and I'll help you."  
BJ began practicing in earnest. He knocked Gabriel off his feet with a Force blast that he'd practiced back on Kelusia. Under BJ's patient teaching Gabriel was able to throw his staff across the room. He beamed at his accomplishment, picked it up and started swinging at BJ explaining each move he made as BJ made to counter it.  
Escape was on BJ's mind now. If he had to learn to fight to escape, then he might need every lesson they could give. He hoped his mind radiated acceptance.

And so with the silent Torgrutan looking on, his training as a Sith began.


	10. Chapter 10

Back on the Rogue Shadow training of a different nature was taking place. Between Em, Joran, and Starkiller they had 3 light sabers. Joran did not possess a light saber but Em had hers and Starkiller fought with two.  
Joran was efficient with a quarter staff and started the boys on it.  
Juno throughout this piloted up front.  
Starkiller had enlisted his old training droid Proxy and given him a new Prime Directive: Training Jedi.  
"You can use the Old Starkiller when they are older," he muttered as Proxy offered to train the boys on it.  
"It's the most dangerous one Master," Proxy had replied.  
Starkiller had no idea what Yoda had been thinking of telling him to take Force Sensitives out of the reach of the Empire. He had no idea what lay out beyond the Empire's boundaries. Certainly humans did go out there and lived but what were they like? Should he take Juno out there?  
Proxy had taken as many files into his memory of the Jedi as he could before they left. He was certain they would be fine. Em also had some training as a Jedi but had never been tested. Order 66 had cut that avenue down for her.  
The boys and Allana were proving able with the Force. The training was keeping everyone's mind off the one person that wasn't here. Starkiller mentally kicked himself several times over for that lapse in judgement that had lost them BJ.

However, it was Connor who beat himself up the most. It was Connor who practiced the most and the hardest  
They followed the ship through space, it was not heading inwards but keeping to the outer rim, looking for more Force sensitives perhaps?


	11. Chapter 11

**AJ and Connor dueled together in the Rogue Shadow. They'd put down on Iltsetat, another sparsely populated planet on the outer rim. Starkiller had started their training nervously at first and then with confidence as he saw them take the things he was teaching them and apply them. Proxy was a big help. The older two boys were quite adept with Saber fighting. Although they currently only used rods on each other, Starkiller insisting they make their own light sabers when the time was right.**

 **Each day the older two boys trained with BJ in mind. They were coming into their own now trying to help but his absence was felt by everyone.**

 **"What is it like being a Jedi?" AJ had put to Starkiller one day. They were all in the practice room, the ship was being flown by Proxy and Juno was taking another rare break. She covered the smile that had popped up on her face with her hand when she heard AJ's question.**

 **Starkiller however did not smile.**

 **"I've never been a Jedi," he admitted slowly glancing at Juno. Amusement colored her features and she nodded to him in encouragement.**

 **Em who was nearby strode over. "You never got to take the test like me then? Who was your Master?"**

 **"** **Uh," Starkiller paused knowing how awkward this was going to sound, especially to Em. "Actually I started out as a Sith apprentice…my master was…. Darth Vader."**

 **The words were out quickly and it took a moment for them to sink in. Em drew her light saber and pointed it him. "What is this?"**

 **He didn't bother drawing his own saber… "It's a long story…I'm no longer a slave to Vader. I met Master Yoda and he said- "**

 **"** **You've actually met Yoda?" Em had withdrawn her green saber but kept it in her hand. Very few people did not know of Yoda. He was legendary and he had disappeared soon after Order 66 was given.**

 **"** **If you are not a Jedi what are you doing training us?" Allana who had edged into the conversation was also very direct with her questions.**

 **Starkiller had paused for a moment. They were keeping a low profile. He didn't know Em or Joran that well. What exactly should he tell? Had he said too much already? He had really wanted to talk to Juno alone about this first. He paused looking at her belly. She was carrying his child, they'd married in secret and there were just quite a few things he wasn't ready to talk about yet…but now he was being forced to.**

 **"** **I was trained," he finally said. "My parents left the Jedi academy to get married. Jedi don't get married I've been told." He paused giving Em a knowing look. "I was taken by Vader after he killed my father and trained up from a young age but I broke free and I'm serving the Rebellion now…" It was the extreme bare bones to the story but he was not getting into details without speaking with Juno.**

 **"** **You're him." Joran finally spoke up turning pale.**

 **"** **Who?" AJ popped in with interest. The boys who had been across the room had drifted over when Em had drawn her lightsaber.**

 **"** **Galen Marek" Joran stammered, "You founded the rebellion, that's your family crest on their ships."**

 **"** **Actually it's just Starkiller now." He studied Joran for a moment. Joran's thoughts were open and easy to read** ** _._**

 ** _What if they find my secret commlink? I turned the boy for money, they needed a Force user so I gave them BJ…_**

 **Starkiller in an instant had both of his blue sabers crossed across Joran's throat. Em had leapt to Joran's defense but Starkiller swatted her aside with the Force like a fly, his face grim.**

 **"** **YOU." He snarled… "the commlink, NOW!"**

 **"** **Comm?" Em rose unsteadily to her feet. Her light saber had flown across the room. She wiped blood away from her nose. "What's going on?"**

 **Joran reached into his pants pocket and produced the wrist device and dropped it into the air where Starkiller seized it with the Force and brought it to himself. It was blinking. A tracking device.**

 **There was dead silence in the room as the discovery sunk in.**

 **"** **What's going on?" Connor demanded. AJ was next to him shielding Caohdan and Allana behind him.**

 **"** **You…" Starkiller dropped Joran to the floor. "You sold BJ to that Inquisitor?"**

 **Joran looked around at the shocked faces. He did not bother to deny it. "Aye, I did, and I'd do it again to protect my daughter. He was not mine. He was going to take my daughter but we made a deal, he'd seen BJ before and wanted to take him instead, he promised to leave Allana."**

 **Em jerked as if she'd been slapped. "They were like our own sons!" She began to cry. Starkiller couldn't imagine what she must have felt like at that moment. Joran looked miserable but he still tried justifying himself.**

 **Starkiller looked at him coldly and suddenly Joran felt very small, weak, and insignificant in that stare. This was the Starkiller that had taken on the Empire. "Do you really think," Starkiller spat out at him, "that he would have just walked away and forgotten about her? They lie, they make promises just as easily as they break them. You are a fool."**

 **"** **They never would have…we're not some rebel trash trying to bring down the Empire!" Joran shouted and then stopped realizing what he'd just said. The room was silent once more.**

 **Em stared at him, shocked. "I don't know you." She whispered loudly into the silence and turned her back on him. She fled the room, reeling from the revelation. She just couldn't look at Joran.**

 **Starkiller was pretty angry and not entirely sure of what he was supposed to do. Chairs began to rise off the floor as his frustration mounted. He shut out everything else and tried to think.**

 **Juno put a hand on Starkiller's shoulder, "Galen stop," she whispered into his ear, something no one else would have dared at that moment. Everything dropped to the floor.**

 **"** **We'll figure it ou.?" She said evenly. "I cannot fly a ship when things are rising up off my console." She shot Starkiller a look and he inclined his head towards Joran. "Him?"**

 **But it was Connor who beat him toward an explanation. "Joran is the one who sold BJ. He betrayed us. He," his voice broke, "he sold my brother."**

 **"** **Restraints!" She said. "Proxy can you hear me?"**

 **"** **Yes, Captain Eclipse."**

 **"** **I'm not coming back as quickly as I thought, we have a situation."**

 **"** **Of course." The metallic holodroid stayed on in the cock pit as Juno turned back to Starkiller.**

 **"** **How can I do this?" He said to her in a harsh whisper.**

 **"** **WE are supposed to be doing it." She replied calmly.**

 **He stared at her for a moment before nodding. She reached out and took his hand. "Did you see him there?"**

 **"** **No," he replied to her.**

 **"** **Then let's drop him and the tracking device on the next world and leave it." Juno absently put her hand on her belly which grown in the past few weeks.**

 **Starkiller wondered how she could speak of ditching a man on an underdeveloped world at the same time as her maternal instincts were kicking in and she was unconsciously making an attempt to feel her baby move.**


	12. Chapter 12

"He's not worth it," Starkiller told an angry Connor later. They'd tied Joran to the floor and left him there. He was pitiful to look at having spent a few hours crying, then yelling for Em who refused to come into the room to look at. He was disheveled and asleep.

Connor stared at him angrily as if he could bore holes through him simply by looking at him. Starkiller almost wondered if that could happen. He'd known that great Masters of the past were capable of feats beyond what most of the Jedi could do. He himself was incredibly strong in the Force and had pulled off some incredible stunts, none of which he hoped to perform around Juno in her current state.

Em had taken the rest of the younglings outside but Connor had refused to leave. Unlike Em who could barely look at Joran now, Connor stared daggers at the man. AJ had barely left his side but Starkiller had shooed him out the door with a quick, "I'll talk to him."

"Look," said Starkiller quietly. "There is a right way and a wrong way to do this. Killing him won't help you or BJ." Connor stared ahead stonily.

"He will just put us in danger again." Connor did not lose his stare. "Did you hear what he said?"

"We could leave him here." Starkiller suggested. "Em won't like it, but it may be the best way."

Connor looked up. "So he just gets away with it? We let him go?" The idea was so maddening, that Connor considered for the first time using the Force to kill someone.

Starkiller sighed again. "Let him go? No, look at him… he's shackled himself in his mind. He's betrayed us and we know it, and what's worse, he knows we know it. His family has turned against him. That's worse than anything you can go through." Starkiller was thinking of the time his former master had literally stabbed him in the back. The pain had been excruciating, but the betrayal felt so much worse. He shut it away. "We will drop him here. With the tracker. He'll carry his memories forever, never be the same again. He gets away with nothing."

Connor sat up and looked at Joran, struggling with his emotions and then he began to cry. He leaned into Starkiller's side and sobbed. For a moment Starkiller wasn't sure what to do. He'd never comforted anyone besides Juno and wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Starkiller wrapped an arm around the ten-year-old boy and just let him cry, hoping it was the right thing, and relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about Connor going to the dark side any time soon. The boy was no killer. Here was hope at least.

Juno came into the room and watched them for a moment. She took Starkiller's other hand that he held up for her and he noticed for the first time her pregnancy was making walking difficult. It felt like they were running out of time. "Get the others," he whispered softly. "We have a difficult decision to make. About him."

She nodded and squeezed his hand and mouthed "good job" at him nodding towards the crying Connor. He smiled back despite the situation. He didn't know much about kids because he never really was one but at least according to Juno he'd done the right thing here.

He watched her leave and felt Connor get quiet as his sobbing eased. The other kids and Em filed back in silently, Em avoided looking at Joran but Allana cast furtive glances at him still not understanding why he'd sold BJ to an Inquisitor. Her little face was puffy and red from crying as well.

They settled in the far corner surrounding Em, Allana, and Caohdan. AJ came and sat down next to Connor as Starkiller stood up to move towards Juno. Proxy came in last and stood next to the door. Juno looked at him for a moment and he was suddenly uncertain about what was going to happen. He looked at the commlink in his hand knowing this was what kept the starship carrying BJ just out of reach the entire time.

"I think we should set him down here." Connor spoke up quickly. The room suddenly was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. No one breathed.

Starkiller had been prepared to make the same statement but Connor had beaten him to it. He looked around to see how the rest of the group was taking it. He was worried only about Em at the moment. She still wouldn't look at Joran but he was gazing at her pleadingly.

"Em don't let them do this to me. I was trying to protect our daughter." He begged. She kept her eyes low to the floor although she was crying. Juno walked over and put a hand around her shoulders.

Em looked up one more time at Joran, managed to look him in the eye. Her eyes were red from crying but there was a resolve there now. Starkiller knew her mind had been made up. She nodded at Starkiller. "Do it."

Juno wrapped her arms around Em as Starkiller gripped a screaming Joran with the Force up into the air. Proxy calmly strapped the commlink securely to Joran's wrist and walked over to open the hold door. Joran was pushed out onto the landing pad. Starkiller wasn't sure anymore if this was a good idea however they had no choice short of killing the man outright, and he knew that would make him more of a monster than they already thought he might be at this point.

As it was, Joran was tossed out yelling and the door snapped up behind him with a hiss cutting his yelling off for good.

Juno had taken Em out to the cock pit to be alone for a bit which left Starkiller in a room with four pairs of eyes looking up at him expecting…something.

It was bewildering… _what do I say_?

He cleared his throat after looking around wringing his hand somewhat… "Ok…. I guess we'll keep following BJ now, after that…we should uh, be able to follow without too much notice. The tracking device is gone…"

"Master," said Proxy from his side. "I would not go into the cockpit just now if I were you."

"I got it Proxy, thanks." He looked around. It was going to be a long night. "Get your rods ready to practice," he told them. "We're going to need to be ready when we do catch up to them."


	13. Chapter 13

_He was on a ship next to Connor and BJ was in front of them. His face was full of anger and hatred. BJ was shouting something at them. "I don't believe you!" He raised his light saber at them. The Saber was red and was about to come crashing down on them when Connor did something AJ did not expect._

 _Instead of defending himself he dropped to his knees and bowed his head. "If that's what you believe," he said, "go ahead." It felt like the right thing to do and AJ dropped himself next to Connor and lowered his head as well. BJ swung the saber down at them and…._

AJ awoke with a jerk. Sitting up quickly. He looked over at Connor and saw him awake staring back at him. "Did you see that?" AJ whispered quickly.

Connor nodded. "What does it mean?"  
"I don't know," AJ admitted. "Do you think we'll die?"  
Connor shrugged. "What if that's the only way to get BJ back?"  
AJ stared at his cousin for a moment. "Then we do it. That's all there is to it."  
Connor was quiet but he nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

The next planet they landed on was Dagelos. It had quite a bit of trade with planets outside the Empire and was considerably populated. Considered part of the Empire it had a huge amount of trade with planets outside of Empire control. Dagelos was a known place where an outlaw could disappear. A few crime lords even held sway there although no one opposed the Empire directly. That was still suicide.  
It was a launching pad out of the Empire for those who wanted to go. Starkiller and Juno had planned on leaving from Dagelos, but that was before they'd picked up so many passengers.  
Juno set the Rogue Shadow down on a landing pad farthest away from the center of the station.  
Starkiller was out of the ship in a flash checking the perimeter. He was followed out by AJ and Connor who had insisted on coming.

Starkiller had listened to the dream both boys had had. Once again he was surprised by how much they used the Force without any training or without even realizing it. They'd had some training, he suddenly realized. BJ was old enough to know something.

He felt admiration for BJ suddenly. Keeping his family going through all of this. It was no wonder they all looked to him for answers.

They headed off their landing pad scanning the surrounding pads. Starkiller was hoping that with the tracker gone they'd find BJ with no problem. He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. To his surprise he sensed quite a bit of activity, rage, anguish and fear. He mentally kicked himself for not reaching out in space before they landed, Juno's safety was always in his thoughts.

A dark foreboding began to creep up in the back of his mind. "Can you sense that?" He whispered. AJ and Connor nodded. "So much concentrated Dark Side of the Force and...there's a lot of fear as well." Starkiller paused. "Dagelos is a gateway to the edge of the Empire."

He glanced around, certainty dawning on him. "It's a Royal Guard School. It has to be."

"So they want to expand?" AJ piped up.  
"Think about it," added Connor, following AJ's thoughts. "Perfect place for a battle school, if you are launching out in to space."  
"You know you are the scariest ten year olds I have ever met."  
"Ten years are smart too," AJ said defensively. "What were you doing at ten?"  
"I was being trained as Vader's apprentice."  
Both boys were silenced. It went unsaid that Starkiller was an intense person on occasion and hard to read.  
"So BJ is in there somewhere becoming a Sith?" Connor asked again, eyeing Dagelos around them.

"Probably not." Said Starkiller as he scanned the area. "They have this rule of two, I'm not too sure of all the details. Vader broke that rule at some point, but I'm sure it was at the approval of his Master."

He studied their surroundings. The market on Dagelos was filled with beings of many different worlds humming with variety. In the distance a set of plain buildings marked with the seal of the Empire radiated the dark side. Starkiller concentrated on letting his frustration and anger through. Better to make the right impression "Let's head to the most concentrated area of the Force." He said walking towards the buildings, having to weave through the crowd.  
"How can you feel that?" AJ asked.  
"It's how I found you," Starkiller said. "There was no evil feeling, I just looked for Force users, I'm surprised no one found you before. You guys stick out like a sore thumb. In time you'll sense others as well. I suppose you'll need to learn how to hide yourselves."  
"Can they sense us?" AJ asked. It was the most sensible question.  
"Probably," Starkiller said, "But I'm hoping at this point to pass you off as new recruits. There are a fair number about if this is a school. It looks new, and it's location suggests they are scouting past the outer rim…and feeling rather safe about it."  
"And you?" AJ asked. "Who are you supposed to be?"  
Starkiller shrugged. "An Inquisitor." He paused. "Maybe. If I tell you to run, I want you to head back to the Rogue Shadow as quickly as possible and tell Juno to launch. No questions asked. Got it?"  
"Yeah we got it." Connor was suspicious. AJ simply nodded. Neither was planning to leave due to the dream they'd had. But there was no reason to tell Starkiller their plan. He might leave them behind.

 _Good,_ Starkiller thought. He walked on ahead as the Jorals followed behind.

Things were about to get messy and he was supposed to be keeping a low profile.

Perhaps the criminal element would be of some use, but Starkiller couldn't count on that. Considering the amount of Dark Side Energy here, there was definitely a school of some sort here. This was a big step in expanding the Empire further out. There might not be any criminal element left to use.

"Let's head back to the ship." Starkiller glanced around. There was no way into the Citadel, it wasn't an open building at all. While it baffled him that a Royal Guard Academy would be out here, it also made sense. The Emperor was always looking to expand his control and those that graduated from one of these facilities were known to be highly loyal to Palpatine.  
Starkiller shuddered. Darth Vader had trained him ruthlessly but it had saved him from going to one of these, or even being apprenticed to the Emperor himself. The different paths he could have taken weighed heavily on his mind.

 _I'm here now_ , he reminded himself. _With Juno and our baby._  
Connor stared up at the Citadel as they started to walk away, somewhere his brother was in there. Who knew what he was going through?  
"Come on," AJ tugged at his arm. "We'll find a way…we both saw where we ended up."  
Connor nodded. He turned away and slipped through the crowd behind AJ and Starkiller. They would get in.

"I am not sure how we are going to get in." Starkiller lamented to Juno when they returned to the ship.  
Juno was silent a moment, Proxy stood next to her in the cockpit of the Rogue Shadow, Starkiller had sunk into a chair  
"Do you not want to get in?" She asked quietly, "because as long as I've known you there wasn't anything you couldn't get into if you put your mind to it."  
"Especially where you're involved." He smiled at her. Her belly had grown with the life inside of it. He resisted the urge to put his hand on it. There were so many on the Rogue Shadow they had little time for privacy. He relished the few moments they had alone together, even if Proxy was standing there observing.  
Proxy.  
He shot up. "Proxy you're a holodroid!"  
"Yes, Master…" Proxy sounded a bit unsure. "I know you've known this for years but I don't see the relevance to the present situ—"  
"Do you still have Darth Vader in there somewhere?" Starkiller asked.  
"Of course." The Droid sounded almost offended by the suggestion.  
Juno's eyes lit up. "How will it work?"  
"It's Darth Vader," said Starkiller as the idea slowly formed in his mind. "He rules by fear. They both do. Today we can use that against them."

"As long as you don't destroy my ship again." Said Juno in an attempt at humor. Starkiller had crashed her ship The Salvation into Kamino's defense systems in order for the rebels to get through the shields in a previous battle against the Empire. It had been a desperate move but it had worked. Juno had sworn to him she'd strangle the life out of him herself if he destroyed the Rogue Shadow. So far the much smaller ship remained intact.

Proxy's metallic voice cut into his thoughts. "Master, there is the probability that some of the Force Sensitives will realize I am not him."

"They may but I'll come with you. I still have most of the gear in the Rogue Shadow's storage."

"Your Sith outfit?" Proxy sounded surprised. "You kept it?"

"Well they belonged to him…" Starkiller started. "I haven't touched them."

There was an awkward silence. Juno reached down and pulled at his hand while he stared at the floor.

"They belong to you." She whispered.

He nodded. It was an old argument between them. While the memories had been imprinted onto him so thoroughly the line between himself and his template was blurred to the point that he often called the memories up as if they were his own. He used "I" when referring to the activities that had taken place before he was created. He often wanted to say before he was born but that sometimes put Juno in bad humor. She insisted he was himself no matter what, and he loved her for it. Her argument had been somehow it was himself that had been transferred into a clone.

He'd argued the original who'd sacrificed himself for her and the rebels had been different, she'd argued that the original had disobeyed orders, taken her off Darth Vader's own ship the Executor, fighting through Imperial soldiers to get to her. Just as he'd stormed the base on Kamino bringing the rebels with him and single handedly battled his way to Darth Vader, defeated him and rescued her once again.

He'd had no argument for her after that.

"I'm taking Connor and AJ in with us," he said.

"The boys?" Juno's eyebrows shot up. "Why?"

"Well for one, they are good. No one is going to expect them to be able to handle themselves, so that is one surprise we'll have up our sleeves. Another thing…they had a vision." His voice dropped. "They were both with BJ, and they are both so convinced they need to be there to save him. We did pick them up for a reason, practically dragged to Kelusia by the Force to get them."

Juno nodded. "So they have a role, or a destiny in all this."

Starkiller nodded. Inwardly he hoped their destiny wasn't to die at BJ's hand.


	15. Chapter 15

Connor and AJ were mulling over their own plans to get into the place when Starkiller strode in with Proxy in tow.

"So we're going then?" Connor asked. He had been worried that they'd be left behind.

"Yes." Said Starkiller. He moved aside, "Proxy, show them."

The Droid stepped forward and his processors seemed to come alive and suddenly Darth Vader melted into existence right in front of them.

Both boys paled in fright. Even Starkiller who knew it wasn't the real Darth Vader felt his pulse pound.

"Still functioning at perfect capacity?" Darth Vader's voice came out. It was eerie to hear that voice again. It was perfect; down to the nasal breathing mechanisms that kept Darth Vader alive.

Connor snorted a laugh from the floor. "I've never met him but I don't expect him to say that."

"Well I'm not going to break character in the Royal Guard Citadel." Proxy in Darth Vader's voice sounded almost offended.

"You'd better change back before Em, Allana, or Caohdan come in." AJ paused running his hands through his blonde hair. "Especially Caohdan."

Starkiller nodded at Proxy and the Droid melted back into his normal form.

"We should let them know we're going," said Connor. There was real hope in his voice, he didn't know the outcome of the vision, but at least they could make that part of it a reality. They hadn't let Starkiller in on that fact just yet.

Starkiller moved past them and into a walk in closet that was rarely opened. "I've got to change as well," he said. He closed the door behind him and glanced at the array of outfits Darth Vader had provided. They'd not been touched for a while. They ranged from Jedi brown to Sith black and a few pilot suits. _Why have I not gotten rid of them before? Am I Afraid to touch them?_

 __He moved to the back where a black outfit hung. It looked very similar to Vader's down to the black hooded cape. Although missing were any mechanical parts that Vader used to keep himself alive. His fingers trembled as he put the Sith gear on. Memories surfaced of himself using the outfits for various purposes. He pushed them away. _Not now._

At one time this was what his template had been waiting for: The right to wear this uniform out in the open proudly at the side of his Master. He glanced at the mirror, he'd had a vision of this face before. Although it had been a different situation, he'd just defeated Vader, and he'd seen another clone come out and stab him from behind.

He'd chosen not to however and so that vision had not come to pass…. until now.

He studied his reflection and took a deep breath. The door opened and Juno walked in closing the closet behind her. She smiled at him. Out of all the people in the world who'd seen him in and out of the dark side, he trusted her the most.

Still looking at himself in the mirror he said, "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can." She said. But she put a hand on his arm and came to stand next to him. It was a surreal image. A smiling pregnant Juno Eclipse next to a Dark Sith Lord. She frowned after a moment, guessing his thoughts. "It does look odd doesn't it?"

"You're staying behind too."

Her expression darkened. "I know."

"I'm sorry." He said simply reaching out an arm to hold her. She slid into his arms and he reached down to put a hand on her large stomach.  
"

Don't be," she sighed. "This…" she gestured to her stomach, "takes some getting used to." She looked at them in the mirror again and burst out laughing. He was taken aback by her outburst but when he looked he could see the humor. He looked very much like a Dark Lord, but certainly was not acting like one.  
"I'm sorry," she said, "It just doesn't' look like us, me becoming a mother and you…a Sith Lord." She sobered. "I know you were heading down that path before…but now. I can't see it."

She turned to face him and stepped back studying him. Smiling she reached up and adjusted the black mantel around his shoulders. He kept his eyes on her face the whole time. She was so beautiful to him, he loved watching her…he pulled her close and kissed her full on the lips, just wanting to hold her for a moment before they left for the Citadel. A knock on the door broke them apart.

"Proxy says that AJ and Connor are ready." It was Caohdan outside the door. Starkiller laughed to himself. They probably sent the one we were least likely to get upset at. Caohdan and Juno had formed a bond, anyone could tell she was fond of the babbling youngster.

"Coming." Said Juno smiling. She looked at Starkiller again. "I'm not going to be on the sidelines forever."

He smiled. "So I'll have to make sure you have lots of babies?" Juno snorted in reply, and turned and walked towards the door.

"You're too young to know the strife of married men," she said thinking of the many jokes she'd heard when she was growing up.

"It's true," he joked back, "while I wasn't born yesterday…. oh wait…."

"Stop," she said, laughing opening the door to a waiting Caohdan.

The boy smiled earnestly up at her. She took his hand and shot a worried glance at Starkiller. "You will come back to me." It was a statement, not a question.  
"Always." He replied. He studied her features for a moment, taking in her blue eyes and blonde hair. Then she turned away and looked at the little boy next to her.  
She nodded. "Come on Caohdan, let's see how much of my training you remember. You still want to be a pilot right?"  
The two moved away towards the cockpit of the Rogue Shadow with Caohdan nodding enthusiastically.  
Starkiller stood in the door way for a moment before he noticed Em, Allana, Connor and AJ staring at him with their mouths hanging open. "I'm ready."

How did they get their lightsabers?

Connor and AJ nodded. They were both wearing short cloaks themselves, brown ones they'd brought with them from the Shanties of Kelusia. Each had their own small sabers tucked into their pants pocket on their thigh. The sabers were blue, as were most of the spare crystals he carried. He managed to take some with him after his vision, surprisingly Kota had made sure he'd gotten them. He missed the Old General more than he could say, although he knew that Kota would certainly have approved the mission they were about to take. General Kota was known mostly for being short tempered and incredibly reckless.  
Proxy stood, "If we're ready Master, shall I change now?"  
Starkiller nodded…and Proxy's receptors whirled to life. Darth Vader melted into view once again, breathing receptors and all. Starkiller sucked in a hard breath at his appearance.  
Em, opened the back hatch.

"Can you hear me?" Juno's voice came through his commlink.  
"Got it, remember just listen once we're inside," he said. "No matter what."  
"I got it." She sounded a little irritated.

"Here we go…" Starkiller said nodding towards Proxy who now looked like Darth Vader. "You're the boss now, Proxy."

"Yes Master," the Droid responded in Darth Vader's voice and straightened. The holodroid took the lead and Starkiller took up position to his right behind him. He pulled the hood low over his forehead. The black outfit was official and anonymous at the same time. You could only see the bottom half of his face. The boys traveled next to him looking nervous. Good, he thought. That would play their part perfectly.  
Darth Vader walked up to the door of the Citadel followed by an attendant, and two boys.

The door popped open and a storm trooper opened it. "My Lord," he said. "We had no word of your coming."

"Do I need an invitation to be here?" The dark Lord's words froze the storm trooper momentarily.

"No, my Lord." The trooper hesitated and then stepped back and opened the doors. He wasn't going to stand in the way of the Dark Lord. No one did.

"Shall I report you are coming inside?"

"No. My business is my own." Darth Vader's helm turned toward the boys behind him and the trooper backed respectfully out of the way as they passed breathing a sigh of relief.

Starkiller used the Force and slammed the door shut behind them startling the guard in his office. He smirked under the hood, Vader always had presence, he used the fear he caused to control and it was working in their favor now. No one questioned them.

"Well that was easy." Connor mumbled under his breath.

"Stick with the plan." Starkiller said, earning a surprised look from Connor who didn't realize he'd been heard.

Starkiller did not look down on them at all as they walked towards the end of the hallway. Rooms branched off to the side, at least he thought they were rooms. There were no windows to indicate what lay behind the doors. Slicing into the systems here had been impossible even for Proxy. So he was going in dark. He didn't like it but at the moment there was no choice.  
A man in red robes came out to see them. "My Lord." He was a Force Sensitive, Starkiller could see. "We were not expecting— "He paused. "I sense nothing from you. You are not Lord Vader."

In a flash Starkiller had put the man in a Force choke hold grip and put him up against the wall. As he struggled he cried out, "Forgive me Lord Vader!"

Starkiller dropped him hoping Proxy would take the cue to stay in character.

"I have two recruits that I want to personally dropped into class," Proxy said in Vader's voice.

"Yes Lord." The robed man said giving the boys a look over. "Force sensitives?" He was surprised. "Where did you find them?"

"Not your concern." Said Proxy. "Show me the dormitories."

"Yes, my Lord." The man dropped was over his earlier surprise. He was well trained for his job, however he understood as did all who passed through any Royal Guard Academy there was only one Apprentice to the Emperor. And he was there for a reason.

They followed him back up the hall to a doorway and he opened the door using the Force and stepped out of their way.

"New recruits are in here." He finished.

They stepped into the room and the first thing they noticed was that it was crawling with youngsters of different sizes, ages, species, etc.


	16. Chapter 16

Connor and AJ found themselves in a room filled with other kids. It could have passed for an old Jedi temple full of Padawans had the place not been filled with black. The dark side of the Force was emphasized in everything and the greatness of the Empire was prevalent.

Connor shuddered as he and AJ walked forward into the room. There were tables off to one side, some kids sat, many wandered around looking frightened. At least one kid was visibly crying.

"New recruits?" AJ whispered to Connor looking around. Other than the tables, black coloring, and a few pictures proclaiming the might of the Empire the room was filled with young kids, apparently all Force users.

"Form a line!" A familiar voice suddenly called out to them.

Connor gasped. "BJ!" He started to move forward but AJ grabbed his arm. "Wait, look at him!"

BJ had been gone a few months but he'd grown taller, more muscled. There was a redness to his eyes that hadn't been there before. He even had a light saber on his hip. He was dressed head to toe in black.

He was not a frightened child here either. He was in charge. He glanced around the room with a frown on his face as if looking for something that was out of place.

Connor sagged as he and AJ took a spot in the back of the group. AJ hoped that BJ couldn't sense them specifically in amongst this group but they'd found him at least. The question was, who was he now? A few months away had turned him…to this? He had been a natural leader before and it was showing now.

"Your training in this academy begins now, "BJ said calmly looking around the room. "I've been training for three months…if you learn quickly, and believe me you will learn." He paused and again his eyes swept the room as if something wasn't quite right. "You will progress quickly up the ranks. Gabriel come out."

An 8-year boy walked out and AJ recognized him as one of the children from the landing platform when BJ was first taken. "This is Gabriel." BJ said, "He's 8, but he's been training for a year. He's an excellent fighter. Watch."

Gabriel grinned as BJ moved off to the side. He pulled out a light saber activated one side and then the watching crowd gasped as he activated the other side into a double light saber and began performing a few acrobatics with it. When BJ was certain they had the room's full attention he moved forward again.

"All of us are here because our Force abilities make us unique in the Empire. We will become the Emperor's right hand. Keeping the law. Depending on each ability determines where you'll go." He paused and scanned the room for a third time his frown deepening.

Connor shuddered suddenly sure that there was no way BJ, his brother, could miss him or AJ hiding amongst these others. Not after having kept watch over them for so long. He began to wonder where Starkiller was and if they would get out of this alive.

"If you want to get out of this alive, you'd better train hard." BJ continued.

"You will meet here every morning 5am sharp. Dressed and ready for whatever comes. Girls will use the left side doors for their bunks. Boys go to the right. Any questions?" No one raised a hand, someone could be heard stifling a sob.

"Good." BJ smiled. "Go to your bunks now." He turned around and exited through the room that AJ and Connor and come through only a few moments before.

AJ breathed a sigh of relief but felt the trepidation radiating off of his cousin Connor. Connor looked over at AJ and neither said a word. They didn't have to. BJ was a Sith, they were either too late or it was going to cost them their heads.

"How do we get into contact with Starkiller?" Connor whispered as they followed the rest of the boys to the right to get into their bunks.  
"I remember you two." At the sound of the voice both AJ and Connor jumped and Connor reached into his shirt almost gripping the makeshift light saber he'd constructed aboard the Rogue Shadow. He and AJ both had one.

It was a Torgrutan boy with orange skin, blue and white head coloring, and blue eyes. He smiled at them but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "You were with BJ when my Master took him."

Both boys froze and looked down at this kid. The rest of the boys were taking bunks but AJ and Connor hadn't planned on staying that long. "And now you are here." He looked around. "You may want to get beds. There isn't much room for escape, and I doubt they'll let you stay together once your past relationship is discovered."

AJ was astonished at the boy's vocabulary. He couldn't be more than 6, yet here he was addressing them with a bit of authority. He thought back to his own brother's happy personality and vowed never to let him fall into these hands. Where would his happy go lucky little brother go in a place like this?

"I'm Jesseye," the boy continued, "look around now if you want. This is the last time you'll get free time."  
They picked a bunk closest to the door. Jesseye had left them to it. Gabriel was also in the room oddly just keeping an eye on the rest. It was uncanny.

"In and out I thought," Connor muttered.

"Remember the dream," AJ replied. Connor nodded. "It was probably a warning that BJ was in deeper than we thought."

"How do we get him out and get to Starkiller? Where is Starkiller?" Connor asked. It was rhetorical question however; he wasn't waiting for AJ to actually respond.

They didn't have long to wait as all of a sudden the doors flung open and BJ strode in and immediately zeroed in on them. The room went so silent you could hear a pin drop.

His lightsaber clicked on, the red beam shooting out towards them. They simultaneously withdrew their own crude lightsabers both blue in defense. This brought BJ up short.

"You left me!" He snarled and brought the saber down onto Connor's blue one. "You all boarded the ship and fled and left me. After everything I have done for you!" His next swing went into AJ's direction, and he blocked it up but offered up no return attack.

Aware that everyone was watching and they could be caught at any time Connor began to feel a bit desperate. "It was not like that." He replied. "Joran had a tracker on him, the Inquisitor knew we were following you the whole time. He was already a step ahead the whole time, we followed you here."

"Likely story!" Said BJ vehemently. "But I did get one thing from that guy. I became much stronger than I ever would have been otherwise. I no longer have to run and hide in fear. Nor do I have to carry your weight on my back." He sneered at them again taking a swing which Connor only managed to deflect because AJ brought his saber out in front of him as well.

Connor dropped to his knees. "If you truly believe all that BJ then end it…I'm not going to fight you. You're my brother and I came all this way to get you out." He deactivated the light saber and dropped to his knees and bowed his head. BJ's eyes swung wildly to AJ as he too deactivated his light saber and dropped to his knees. This was not how he'd anticipated this reunion to go. He'd sensed them earlier but hadn't seen them in the group. He had thought he'd run into them on his own ship as a Sith but he was nowhere near as trained as he was going to be and a few years from actually being called a Sith. He hadn't expected to see them here in this school. It had shocked him to the core.

His rage was burning bright but also a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that they were telling the truth. It wasn't beyond the Dark Side to lie to each other he knew. His own Master had kept them in the dark about where they were going, but he'd taught BJ to fight and BJ had learned well. He had even surprised his new Master at how quickly he'd picked up saber fighting. Bane had shown him how to make a saber and then brought him here. He'd been placed over demonstrations for new comers as Bane had sensed that BJ was a natural leader. Gabriel and Jesseye had both gravitated toward him on the ship, and new kids listened to him. Even if they were frightened out of their minds.

BJ let out a howl. He just couldn't stay angry with them. They were family and they weren't even fighting him. They were going to let him take their heads. He deactivated his own light saber dropped to his knees in front of them and grasped them to his chest crying. He could hear the whispering begin behind him but he didn't care at that moment.


	17. Chapter 17

Their cover was summarily blown, Proxy not bothering to dissolve the hologram he was wearing drew out a red light saber and began battling his way through storm troopers and more experienced Royal Guard trainees.

Starkiller knew they were in real trouble. Royal Guards may or may not be Force Sensitives but he also knew even the ones that were not Force Sensitives were trained to fight against Jedi. He swept groups out of their way without a thought as he and Proxy ran towards where they'd left Connor and AJ.  
_

The door blew in and Starkiller finally appeared his black robes swirling into the room. "Thought I felt a strong surge in the Force," he muttered looking around at all the Force sensitive boys in the room. He took in the scene quickly. "I take it that we won't be fighting BJ?"

BJ looked up startled at Starkiller's sudden appearance. "No." He said. He wasn't smiling but he wasn't sure of himself either. They were all here to rescue him. It didn't make sense with everything he'd been told and believed for the past few months

.  
"Leave that to me." Starkiller said, "Proxy is creating quite distraction out there.  
The boys got up, but BJ stopped. "What about these?" He waved his arm around the room.  
Starkiller hesitated again, thinking of Juno. "Take whoever wants to come." But hurry, the distraction probably won't last long. Proxy does have a few glitches to work on."  
BJ gestured but no one moved forward but Jesseyeye and two human girls.  
Gabriel stepped forward. "Don't go against the Empire." He begged BJ. "It's suicide. At least here we have a chance. Out there you are going to be hunted, always running, always hiding."  
BJ shrugged and looked at his brother and cousin, and his new friend. "At least we aren't alone."

Starkiller nodded, looking back at the group who were not coming and that is when all chaos broke loose. The boys would remember it for years to come and shudder at the memory. It took a power none of them possessed and few had witnessed…suddenly into the room ran storm troopers. The rest of the boys were ushered out leaving Starkiller in the center of the room with AJ, Connor, BJ, Jesseye, and the two girls clustered up next to him.  
Suddenly Starkiller leapt into the air over their heads and seemed to hover there for a moment. There was a curious popping sound as the Force exploded from him and swept out in the room. As the wave hit the storm troopers they literally disintegrated into nothing, twisting outward, their blood flying out of them and disappearing into the air with the rest of them. The room had instantly cleared of all Storm Troopers.  
He dropped to the floor in between them, each staring up at him in shock. "Move!" He shouted drawing both of his light sabers. BJ gave each a shove while drawing his own red blade and followed Starkiller out into the hall, which was amazingly clear.  
"Juno!" Starkiller yelled into his commlink on his wrist. "Might need to leave in a hurry!"

Starkiller moved down the hall with the six kids behind him. Part of him was feeling guilty that he hadn't taken anyone else with him but he was mostly concerned about getting Juno out of here. He would look back on that moment without any amount of pride but he'd done so much to get back to her he wasn't about to put her in harm's way if he could help it. He hadn't expected to find a Royal Guard School out here and he was afraid of what it meant for any planets out in space not yet subjugated. How far out could they go?

The door was clear surprisingly. They were able to walk right out with no one to block them. Starkiller began to wonder exactly what Proxy was up to. The run down to the landing pad was uneventful beyond the stares of the locals. They were on board swiftly but Starkiller did not order them to take off.  
"Juno? Where's Proxy?" He yelled as everyone else was staring at BJ.

BJ looked different to them. He had grown, was dressed in black and even had a slight red tinge around the eyes. But he was here, and Connor and AJ suddenly grabbed him in a hug which sent Em, and Allana flying at him to do the same.  
Starkiller ignored them all for the moment as he ran into the cockpit to see Juno. "What's he doing?" He called to her grabbing her in a hug for a moment.  
Juno shrugged. "He's impersonating Vader. I've been listening in, like I said earlier apparently Vader has never been here. This is a pet project of the Emperors, so they are scrambling to make sure he is pleased. Although I doubt the Emperor will be pleased that the doorway was so easily penetrated and you all managed to go right back out the same way you came in."  
"They left guards off the front gate?" Starkiller was astonished.  
"Fear remember?" Juno said. "They fear Vader and right now, she turned on the console to listen to Proxy. Right now he's giving a pretty good impression of the Dark Lord."  
Vader's voice cut through the air as they both listened in. Starkiller was chilled to the core at hearing his old Master's voice. He steadied himself by grabbing onto the chair, Juno put a hand on his arm. "-get them trained well, and they will do… …for now. The Emperor will want to see them himself soon enough."  
"Why yes, my Lord," another voice answered.  
Juno chuckled and Starkiller shot her a look. "Sorry," she whispered, "but I know it's Proxy…but…"  
Starkiller nodded. He didn't find it funny but he knew that Juno was simply commenting on the irony. Proxy needed to get out of there soon before he was discovered and dismantled with all of his data read and they were discovered. He winced again realizing he was thinking of his oldest "friend" in such a way.  
"I'm returning to my ship now." Vader's voice. Starkiller imagined him just strolling out of there.  
He kissed Juno on top of her head and went to wait by the cargo door not knowing what to expect. The Rogue Shadow was too exposed he thought. He had a hard time parting with it, but it might be necessary. He suddenly felt foolish. What was he holding on to here? This was a relic from his past the very thing he often tried to forget. It had updated cloaking system true, and Juno was comfortable flying in it. They were also one of the fastest ships in the galaxy. But would they need this outside of the Empire?  
His thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Lord Vader coming up the strip to get into "his" ship. Starkiller sucked in his breath again and almost drew his light saber as the mechanical breaths came closer. He went into the familiar bow that he was used to performing for his Master and stayed that way as "Vader" turned around and watched the door close impassively to his face. Once the doors closed then "Vader" shimmered and Proxy's familiar form once again appeared.  
"Master?" he said to Starkiller's still kneeling form. Starkiller jumped up again and looked at Proxy's face staring at him.  
"It's nothing," he said and walked away towards the cock pit and Juno.  
In the meditation room there was a different celebration going on. BJ was overwhelmed as his family gripped him tightly.  
"Where's Joran?" He asked suddenly. It got quiet.  
"He's the one." Connor said, "I told you in the school."  
"Yeah you did," BJ said, "But what happened to him."  
Em spoke up. "We left him on Ikdelat. With the tracker."  
BJ looked over at her and suddenly ran over and hugged her. "I'm so sorry Em."  
Em hugged him back. "He made his choice," she whispered through tears. "We've made ours."  
He nodded and stepped away. Jesseye was still standing off to the side, awkwardly, alone. BJ went over to stand next to him. "This is Jesseye," he said putting a hand on his shoulder.  
"Jesseye what?" Kaelen asked.  
BJ looked down at Jesseye who shrugged. "Never really knew," he muttered.  
"Joral." BJ said firmly. "Jesseye Joral."  
Jesseye smiled, relief on his face.  
"What happens next?" AJ asked as they settled down.  
"I don't know," Em said, "we really didn't plan this far ahead."  
"But we are together again," Connor said, "and that means we can go out of the Empire now. Like we planned."  
BJ nodded, remembering what Starkiller had first set to them. Getting out among the farthest stars.


	18. Chapter 18

The red dawn that greeted them brought the giant Wobegangs under their branches making the trees shake. The Wobegangs were giant fur covered creatures, with large tusks protruding from their lower jaw and shaggy brown coats. They stood taller than 3 men and had bad tempers. The boys sat still making no noise as the creatures passed. Startling them could cause a stampede and Wobegangs were perfectly capable of taking down trees.  
AJ stretched and wondered what the giant bovine tasted like.  
"Let's stick to Biktin." Connor said following his line of thought even as his stomach rumbled in betrayal.  
"There won't be much of those nearby with the Wobegang traipsing through," AJ muttered, his stomach growling in unison. He froze in place suddenly stiffening.

"What is it?" Connor asked turning around.

And then he saw him.

Across from them was a man. He had very short cut brown hair, brown eyes and his clothes were mended over and over. He wore a few belts around his waist from which hung to metal cylinders.  
 _Lightsabers?_ AJ wondered.  
"Good guess," the man said smiling. At the sound of his voice BJ and Caohdan woke up. The man held up his empty hands. On them he wore thin fingerless gloves over callused hands. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
"Who are you?" BJ demanded. He positioned himself in front of the other boys and made an attempt to look menacing.  
"You can call me Starkiller." The man said. He surveyed them. "Took me long enough, I didn't realize you'd go so far." He smiled.

BJ was still suspicious but suddenly he noticed that AJ and Connor were just sitting there with their mouths hanging open not making a sound. Both were pale.

"You!" AJ managed shakily as he turned to BJ.

Connor whispered. "It's him."

BJ glanced back at Starkiller. "What do you want from us?" He demanded.

Starkiller paused and considered his answer quickly. What did he want from them? _Why I am here_? "Short answer? I don't know. I know I am supposed to save some Force sensitives."

Connor nodded. His dreams made sense now…if the man was indeed saving Force Sensitives. "Are you with the Rebellion?" He asked suddenly.

Starkiller winced. "It's complicated…"  
"You'll take us off world?" BJ interrupted and was suddenly hopeful. This was their

Chance, their chance to get off of Kelusia, out into the black.  
"Yes if you want to come." Starkiller grew serious. "I wouldn't wait too long though...Kelusia is only a backwater because of its distance from the center of the Empire, it is rich in resources, and apparently Force Sensitives. The Emperor has turned his eye this way. I don't know why."

Secretly Starkiller wondered if he was the cause. He certainly never wanted to face the Emperor and Darth Vader again. He would not survive a third encounter.

Plus he was a loose end that needed to be snipped.  
They all looked up him with hope. "You can sense us." BJ said finally breaking the silence. "And if you can so can others."  
"Yes." Starkiller didn't lie.

"There was a man in the market yesterday, he came in off the Empire ships that have been landing here…he gave me a large bag of coins…."

"Where is it?" Starkiller asked suddenly, concerned. Any tracking device could be hidden in a bag of coins.

"I left it back with Em," BJ answered. "I didn't think about grabbing it, we wouldn't have had any use for it out here."

"I'm not going without Em or Allana," Caohdan said suddenly, having not said a word up to this point. Starkiller pivoted to face the five year old whom he'd forgotten was there for a few moments.

BJ was about to argue with him when Starkiller spoke up first.  
"Take me to them. That man could have planted a tracker in there to find you later."

Starkiller looked down below him at the immense creatures passing below. He could simply weave in and out of them to get back.

Connor looked down at the Wobegangs as Starkiller dropped down silently among them. They all cringed knowing the volatile natures of the Wobegangs in a way that Starkiller did not. Although he was perfectly still and the beasts took no notice of him yet.

BJ looked at the others and then dropped quickly down next to Starkiller and put a finger to his lips slowly swiveling his head. Starkiller followed his lead amazed at the huge creatures but not getting too close.  
"Juno." He spoke into his com. "I'm heading back your way. There are more than we thought here. Better make plenty of room."

The nearest creature froze in place and snorted. BJ brought his hand up and face palmed as several more beasts froze. It did not take much to set Wobegangs off and they appeared startled now. Starkiller froze for a moment, himself startled and looked down at BJ who motioned _UP_ with his eyes. Suddenly BJ found himself being flung upwards into the trees violently landing in the branches next to Connor with Starkiller leaping up next to them. The others grasped the branches for dear life as the ground began to rumble. All knew what a Wobegang stampede meant.

 _"_ _Juno to Starkiller, there seems to be a lot of movement in your area, several large creatures are stampeding, are you all right?"_

"Tell her to shut it!" BJ snapped loudly as the creatures below grow more agitated and began to run.  
"Fine Juno!" Starkiller called into the Commlink on his wrist. "But can you wait to contact us again. You're setting the…the…"

"Wobegangs?" Connor supplied, grasping a branch for dear life.

"Wobegangs…off…just hold off while I get us out of here." He switched it off as the beasts came at the trees. "They're vegetarians I hope?" He said glancing at BJ.

"Yes," said BJ in a loud whisper, "but temperamental as a woman when both moons are in full face." The tree vibrated as the Wobegangs kept charging it.

"I have no idea what that means," snapped Starkiller. It was a phrase he'd never heard before but he assumed it was going to get ugly before it got better.

"Let's get away from here," AJ said holding Caohdan's one hand and the tree with another, "You know they won't stop for a while, we need to move away from, the direction they're going in."

"We're going to have to go down and through," said BJ wobbling. A loud crack sounded. "Then we can go up again, these aren't nearly big enough to hold us or hide us from them."

"You're kidding, right?" Starkiller asked. The branches were wide enough for them to stand on but not strong enough to stay standing?

"On three," said Starkiller but before he could even start to count the tree toppled over spilling them onto the ground. They all found themselves inside a herd of stampeding beasts who'd lost their target and were just now running for their lives.

Starkiller snatched up a screaming Caohdan and yanked the other three boys to their feet with the Force. "Run!"

"This way!" BJ pointed. Together they sprinted dodging and weaving between the animals' legs. He felt his lungs would burst and suddenly a familiar grove was in front of them. "There!" He shouted. He leapt up into the air using the Force managed to fling himself up. Suddenly Starkiller was there next to him dropping Caohdan into his arms as he turned and stretched out both hands and pulled. A startled Connor and then AJ came flying out of the herd and landed on the branch next to them.

"Absolutely quiet," BJ said to them in a whisper, "they aren't charging this way yet, so once they pass we can go." The creatures were moving away from them heading south.

It was a long wait. Caohdan stared up at Starkiller in awe in almost worshipful silence.

Starkiller sat staring at the passing Wobegangs in fascination. He'd battled many creatures before that he thought were terrifying. But these creatures attacking in a herd like this, he'd never be able to hold them all off. They were mindless once enraged. Lesson learned he thought. _Find out as much about the local wildlife as possible before I go charging in._

BJ stared hard at him. He didn't need the Force to read the boy's thoughts. Was he their salvation or their doom? But the bad thing was, even Starkiller didn't know the answer to that question.

 _These were the boys from the vision but what now?_


	19. Chapter 19

While everyone was glad BJ was back, BJ himself still felt lost. He paced the meditation room alone after snapping at Allana.

"You're weak!" He'd yelled at her eyes blazing.

Starkiller had chased them all out of the room staying himself. There was a tense silence between them.

BJ stared at the floor.

"They are never going to stop chasing us."

"Probably not," Starkiller conceded.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just join them?"

"Probably." Said Starkiller.

BJ looked up at him. "Then why don't you?"

"Been there, done that, not going there again."

"Then we'd never had to fear them again."

"But it is fear that drove you there in the first place…and" Starkiller hesitated. "Anger."

BJ's eyes narrowed. "I'm not angry."

"Yes, you are."

"I told you…I wasn't angry at my brother or cousins anymore."

Starkiller shifted. "But that's not who you are angry at. Is it?"

BJ was silent for a moment. He suddenly lit up both of his red sabers. "No," he said, and swung into Juyo, one of the most aggressive forms of lightsaber styles, and came at Starkiller.

Starkiller had only a second to register his surprise at the fact that BJ had even been taught any form of Juyo before countering with Soresu. His own twin blades sweeping gracefully to counter BJ's downward sweep with calm assertion. Starkiller was more than familiar with Juyo, he'd been trained in more forms of light saber combat than most, light or dark.

If BJ was surprised he kept it well hidden, Starkiller noted with approval. The boy slashed at him letting his anger surge through each strike only to be met by Starkiller's calm reassurance. Starkiller never made a strike against him, only blocked his blows, letting BJ tire himself out.

BJ covered in sweat made an attempt to rain blow after blow on him. His frustration only grew, suddenly he reached an arm out and picked up the table with only the force and hurled it at Starkiller only to have Starkiller block and wrench it from his grasp and set the table gently down.

"That's our one good table," Starkiller said sternly.

BJ snarled at him, sending a volley of the sticks they were using for training at him. Starkiller also brought those down. Various objects flew at him from all directions and yet Starkiller remained untouched.

"Who are you really angry at BJ?" He said again.

BJ stood quivering with rage in front of him. Exhausted, he did not have the strength to lift the sabers anymore.

"My parents…" he said finally. "They died, left me in charge of everything…my siblings, my cousins…they left and never came back. They got themselves killed."

"You think they did that on purpose?"

"I know they didn't," he said. "Connor begged them not to go…he was still having dreams even then. He was a toddler but they didn't listen. They should have." He dropped his sabers to the ground.

Outside the door Em stood with her hand on the door. She was sensing the different force signatures in the room play back and forth, listening to the smashing objects.

"What's going on?" Juno said coming around the corner.

"I wouldn't go in there right now," Em said tightly. "There is more going on inside there than just BJ and Starkiller fighting.

Juno hesitated and then nodded. She had no force ability so these times were out of her area of expertise. The other kids were clustered off to the side waiting and listening. Even Proxy was standing on the other side of Em, his photo receptors whirling.

Juno had told Starkiller to talk to BJ but she wasn't sure this was what she had in mind.

"Tell me what happened," Starkiller prodded gently. The storm seemed to have passed. But BJ himself still needed to change direction. Fear had driven him to accepting his state in Imperial control. Anger he'd excelled at as long repressed feelings rose to the surface. Starkiller knew these feelings well also. He'd grown up using his anger as a weapon.

"They left," he said bluntly. Then in a whisper, "they knew the inquisitors were coming. We all got on a transport…and they left, the inquisitors hot on their trail. Caohdan was a baby, AJ and Connor were toddlers. We all hid, even AJ and Connor knew what might happen if we were caught. At any rate, for whatever reason their ship was destroyed. Rather than be caught, or maybe they decided it wasn't worth the effort they were blown up. The inquisitors were killed with them. They never returned for us."

BJ stopped.

"So you want to join the ones who destroyed them?"

"No!" BJ said. "That's not what I meant!"

"But that's what you just told me." Starkiller was calm, hoping his Force Signature was radiating out assurance, acceptance. Before he'd been kidnapped all of his siblings, cousins, friends had looked up to him for almost everything. He wondered if they'd known what a burden that had been on his young shoulders.

BJ remained silent so Starkiller continued. "It won't help to follow in the footsteps of those who murdered your family and continue to hunt them down."

"I…" BJ faltered. What had he been thinking? It had been so easy while at the academy to believe what he was told. His family had abandoned him. His brother and cousins had fled and left him to die. The memories had been muddled and unclear while he was at the Royal Guard Academy. The very presence of those teaching and training pushed him to come to conclusions he otherwise would never have come to on his own.

But there was still the lingering doubts. He hadn't asked to be a leader of any sort. He was just a kid himself and they had needed him to step up. He'd taught them everything he'd known about the Force when they had started showing signs of having it. At least everything his parents had taught him.

They'd been lucky so far. Space was a big place though and there was the advantage of always going out further to the unknown.

He stared at Starkiller for a moment. He saw understanding there. Starkiller had been apprenticed to Darth Vader himself. He had come back. BJ could too.

Starkiller felt the tension snap as BJ's shoulders sagged. He was tired, on the verge of exhaustion himself but he understood what it mean to come to terms with what BJ had gone through and believed.

BJ kept his head down for a moment and then looked up at Starkiller. "I think I need to apologize to Allana," he said weakly.

Starkiller nodded. "Might I suggest a run through the refresher first?" He pointed to the doors which led to the cleaning facility.

BJ started to turn away, but then he turned back. "How did you do it?" He asked. Starkiller knew what he was referring to.

"How did I turn away from the dark side?"

BJ nodded.

"Juno." Said Starkiller. It was the only answer he was going to give. How was he going to explain finding his own name, family again, when those memories had happened to his template? Or waking up wanting to find Juno before he could even contemplate doing anything else? Somewhere Vader had failed to understand the connection between them. Or he had understood perfectly.

Vader was always a step ahead. Starkiller shook himself out of his memories. He reached out with the Force and felt the group gathered outside. Sensing the tension and unease he decided to ease their minds a bit. Proxy must be flying because even Juno was right outside the door.

He strode to the door and flung it open with the Force startling them all. "Show is over." He said quickly.

"BJ?" Asked Em.

Starkiller nodded. "He'll be fine, but give him some space. He has some things he needs to work out on his own."

The group paused at the door. There were not too many places for them to go here. Starkiller groaned inwardly. They might have to make a stop just to get some space between them.

He glanced over at Juno's stomach, where she stood watching him, half amused. She was growing bigger and it wouldn't be long before the baby came. They would have to find a semi-permanent location soon.


	20. Chapter 20

BJ was a little different. They could all see it. His time with the Sith had made him a little harder than he'd been. Where he'd once helped, he pushed them a little harder. He often brooded and went silent. When he practiced fighting with his saber he often practiced with Starkiller as he was incredibly hard with his cousins or the new girls.  
Starkiller spent a lot of time talking with BJ about his time as an apprentice. BJ felt Starkiller was the only one who understood.  
BJ practiced with his red saber as well. It made the others uncomfortable but he couldn't quite bring himself to switch the crystal to a different color. At least not yet. He was ill at ease with himself.  
In truth he didn't feel worthy. He felt mired in the dark side. Sure he'd taken a step towards the light by not slaying his brother and cousin, but he still felt resentment.  
Starkiller had kept him steady but he knew the others wouldn't understand. He'd taken a life during his time as a Sith apprentice. It changed you. Starkiller understood this, he'd taken many as well.  
What was worse, BJ had been prepared to strike down his own family in his rage. At least until they'd offered their own necks. At that point he'd seen the truth of their words and couldn't do it.  
So what was holding him back now?  
He passed his time training and keeping an eye on Jesseye and the twins. The small Torgrutan was also a silent student in comparison to the jubilant Jorals and Allana. The twin girls under Em's ministrations began to open up. Although they were both silent as to what world they came from. Starkiller realized there probably wasn't a home to bring them back to.

However unlike BJ they all smiled quite a bit and Caohdan's chatter brought smiles all around.  
They were finally out of the Empire although not in entirely new territory. Starkiller had visibly relaxed. Even Proxy had developed a spring in his step.

For a few days they simply traveled with the hyper drive making calculated jumps through the known universe. World's flew by and Starkiller was surprised at how far humanity had spread outside the Empire. Out here they were far away, even outside the reach of the old Trade Federation. In truth it was dangerous territory. But there was no organized Empire to hunt them down. It wasn't safe but it was free.

BJ sat alone with his thoughts. He'd sparred with Starkiller for hours. His arms felt like they were going to fall off.

 _The memory surfaced again, he could never quite rid himself of the look in the man's eyes before the blow. He hadn't even looked as he swung. He'd shut his own eyes and cried out._

 _He could feel his light saber shudder as it connected with the man's neck and the family cry out as the body fell over._

 _He couldn't even look at the rest of the family staring in shock._

 _"_ _That was nicely done," Bane said from his left side. "I'd hate for you to miss. Better to get it done in the first blow than mess it up. There's no mercy in letting it drag on."_

 _BJ had stared up at him. His saber was still out, he deactivated it without taking his eyes off of Bane. Anything to not look at the still warm body behind him. Without warning he pitched forward and vomited on the ground at Bane's feet._

 _"_ _I was wondering how long it would take," said Bane. "First one is always the hardest and I've never seen anyone not puke at their first."_

 _"_ _He was helpless," BJ said from the ground._

 _"_ _He was a lawbreaker," Bane said. "We enforce the rule of law. No matter what."_

 _"_ _He was helpless…" BJ repeated to himself. His retching had subsided after a moment and he stood up again._

 _"_ _Let's go," said Bane. "We need to head to the School soon. There your real training will begin."_

 _BJ followed him still completely numb. The fear in the eyes of the man had gripped him. He couldn't get his face out of his mind."_

Connor sidled up to him and sat down to his right startling him out of the day dream.

The others had ventured off to find food and the meditation room was empty except for the two of them.  
"What's going on BJ?"  
BJ knew his brother would come for him and ask questions sooner or later, and if Connor had not, then their cousin AJ certainly would have.  
"I killed a man," he stated. There was no point in hiding it. The admission took a weight off of his shoulders as Connor studied him silently for a moment. "I was being trained, and a man was brought on the ship. I don't know what he had done, only that he had broken some law. And…" BJ started to break down into a sob… "and, his family was brought on to…to witness. He had me do it, said I had to as part of my training. I didn't want to but…"

"You had to." Connor finished. BJ was miserable. He could see the death weighed on him terribly.

"I could have said no, I could have refused, anything. But I cried, then I closed my eyes when he said it was either him or the whole family so, I closed my eyes and swung…" The tears fell down freely now.

Connor felt horrified but not at BJ. He couldn't imagine Starkiller forcing a choice like that upon them. Yet Starkiller survived his Sith training and was now leading them out of the Empire. _BJ would survive too_ , Connor decided.

"You survived, you got stronger," he said to his sobbing brother. He put and hand around his shoulders. "The next time we have an encounter with that Sith, you won't be alone." He waved his hand around indicating the whole ship. "Everyone on this ship will be there for you. We are a family here."

BJ swallowed. "What if that man was just an innocent bystander? I made his wife a widow…kids just like we were…"

Connor sighed. "The Empire did that. They used you. Let's get out of it, train and come back…that is what they do, they take kids and turn them into weapons. Instead of letting that happen to us, let's become something to change it."

BJ stopped sobbing. "When did you grow up?" He asked, a grin breaking through the tears.

Connor smiled and stood up. "Probably the day that you were taken. I did manage to ream Joran with a rod before we dumped him."

BJ couldn't help but grin. Revenge was not supposed to be the Jedi way and they certainly didn't want to be a Sith but he couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction at his brother's actions.

BJ looked down at his twin sabers. They were still red. Maybe it was time to let that go.


	21. Chapter 21

The twins were a handful by themselves as Starkiller was discovering. The girls were adept Force users but their inventiveness even managed to surprise Proxy, a droid who once stored many Jedi and Sith to train Starkiller.

Where one twin was the other would soon turn up. The discovery that the girls were Force users had brought the group closer. Em had her hands full with so many girls running around now.

He came in to find them playing "catch." Both girls were at opposite ends of the room tossing Proxy back and forth. They were not using their hands but rather using the Force to catch Proxy and toss the droid back and forth. He watched for a moment amazed at the ease with each pass and catch. He wondered how he would have turned out if his parents were alive.

"Master?" the droid called helplessly as he went back and forth. "They said it would be helpful to allow this…"

The droid hurled back and forth between each girl, it was apparent that each could catch and throw with the best of any Jedi and neither was going to out throw the other.

Proxy's call brought Em around to face him. Her smile vanished when she saw him. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I know Jedi don't approve of playing with the Force but they were having such a good time…and I didn't see the harm in it."

He shook his head. "I'm not a Jedi, remember? Besides looks like a good training tool to me." He remembered the last battle with Vader where he had launched a pole up into the air, aligned it and used it to bring lightening down into himself before using the Force to launch it at the Dark Lord. He shook his head and smiled. "Last time I checked a Jedi was more than their Saber."

Suddenly Proxy was jerked out of the air between the girls and came to rest in front of Starkiller's hand. This was a kind of creativity he could help train. It reminded him of himself, how he'd been trained to be creative with the Force but he was not going to be anywhere near as ruthless as his master had been.

"What's the heaviest object you've managed to lift," he put forth as the kids and even Em had gathered around him. Proxy moved off to the side gratefully.

"I knocked a tree branch down." Caohdan piped up.

"It was a big tree branch," BJ offered ruffling Caohdan's hair and smiling.

"Really?" Starkiller asked. He paused looked at them and then lifted his right hand into the air and suddenly all the kids and even Em all lifted into the air.

They were startled to say the least.

He set them down gently. "It's just mass," he explained. "Try not to let the idea of weight interfere with the fact that it's just mass." He pointed to the table and was just about to tell BJ to move it when he felt himself rising off the floor. Startled he looked up to see the twins concentrating and immediately broke their hold on him with a flick of his wrist.

"What did you think you were doing?" he said to them breathing a little heavy. He had been startled and although it wasn't a Force choke hold and was easy enough to knock away being lifted had unnerved him. Reminding him too much of being in a choke hold grip with Vader holding him up. Not so easy to knock away. Inwardly he shuddered.

"You said it was just mass," Kaelen spoke with wide, fear filled eyes. Laurel was quick to defend her.

"You lifted us!" Laurel crossed her arms in front of her giving him no room for objection.

He was quiet for a moment. "Let's stick with inanimate objects for the moment," he said finally. "I really liked your game of catch," He continued to the twins specifically trying to smooth their hurt feelings. "My suggestion would be to start using bigger objects as practice. Like the table."

"Of if I may be of assistance?" said Proxy from next to Starkiller.

"No, not you," said Starkiller. "I want you to go check on Juno." He turned and left the room so they didn't see how queasy he'd felt being lifted by them. He'd have to get over that he knew but the sensation was not so easily banished.

Kaelen brightened as BJ came to stand between them. He put a hand on each girls' shoulder. "He just gave you two a compliment you know." Laurel tried to stand a little taller but both were smiling widely.

"Come on!" said Em grinning widely. "You heard him, let's lift the table."

Starkiller smiled as he listened to them just outside the door. Grimly He wondered if the table would survive to the next planet.

Starkiller was feeling something along the lines of pride at the moment. He was still getting to know each kid but he was already immensely proud of them. He knew Juno loved them all already and would be anguished if they lost one. And then the feelings of guilt came as he realized where he'd brought them all…

They'd flown out into unknown space. Starkiller had been guiding them away from other Force users. He'd sense them from a distance but was never sure of their allegiance. He didn't want to draw attention to themselves. There were still pockets of Sith out here kept away by the Emperor who would brook no competition between himself and any other Sith. Imperial Forces still held importance in the outer rim. Guiltily he wondered if he should return and help but he knew that he truly was on a mission. For some reason the Force insisted on it.

Juno had jumped them far out into space. While there was plenty of life and again they were surprised at how far humanity had stretched out beyond the Empire. No one was looking for them out here. For the moment they could relax their guard, take stock of their options. And yet Starkiller knew he wasn't going to bring Juno back, especially in her present condition. Her pregnancy was showing very much now. She smiled a lot more and he could sense her joy mixed with fear of the unknown. No, he was going to bring her back. Not yet.

He could sense the life within, which he believed meant that this child was a Force sensitive.

"Next planet is Venti." Juno smiled coming into the room her belly fully rounded and extended. "Settled, nothing too heavy though. Tolerant people, their 'religion' keeps them out of politics."

"Their religion?" Starkiller said shrugging.

"Peaceful type," Juno went on. "Imperial Forces actually considered enslaving this planet before they took the wookies. They were very compliant with authorities, however it boiled down to politics, and it getting out that they were using humans as slaves. There are plenty of other races down there however. What we seem to have here is a sparsely populated melting pot of sorts. But they are too far from the Empire to make that a good possibility, any one could have attacked them out here."

Starkiller closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. No there were no Force users here and no presence in the Force for light years. He glanced over at Juno. "Take us down."

Juno smiled at him, rubbing her belly and heading back up to the front where Proxy was still monitoring the ships channels. Once again Starkiller was struck with the train of events. In the back of his mind he was worried about his clone. Where had he gone once Vader had escaped? Was he causing havoc now, he certainly could not have just disappeared.

Vader had liked things kept clean and neat and he was always one step ahead.

Starkiller's visions insisted that the Clone would follow them out. He was the bait that would get him out and away from Vader….so…

 _…so what a farm boy could take Vader down?_ It absolutely made no sense to Starkiller. He'd fought Vader twice now. He didn't believe he'd survive a third encounter. _What chance did this kid have?_


	22. Chapter 22

The ship touched down and as the door opened Laurel and Kaelen were the first two off with Allana holding Em's hand following close behind. They glanced around was simply a small landing platform for a planet that did not receive many visitors. In the distance there were fields of wheat with people working in them, pushing tractors through that were bundling the wheat up into rolls. The girls stared fascinated for a moment.

"Proxy," Starkiller called over his shoulder as stepped off the Rogue Shadow. "Watch the ship."

"Yes Master," Proxy called back shuffling up the catwalk into the ship. Juno also stayed behind, any day now she was going to deliver.

"Em?" He said, "Do you mind staying with Juno?"

"Of course." Em replied smiling. She turned and walked back inside. Allana who had been holding her hand turned and glanced at Starkiller and then held up her hand. He took it reluctantly as she beamed.

Kaelen and Laurel were at his side. Starkiller looked down. "Where are you going?"

"The boys were out…" Laurel squeaked. "It's our turn."

Starkiller smiled at her squeak. They were still a little nervous in his presence but they were also brave and had both taken Allana in under their wing. Allana had blossomed having the two older girls around. No longer shy and quiet they'd made a team. Juno had said something about girls normally moving about in herds to do anything and she appeared to be right. Here they were all three of them moving together as one. They'd had as much training as the boys and there was no sense of the Force here. There was no reason to leave them here. "Come on." Allana squealed and let go of his hand and they all ran ahead.

BJ, AJ, and Connor brought up the rear, and Jesseye with some hesitation also followed them out. There were a few stares here and there but most people minded their own business.

The wheat fields spread for miles.

"What we're looking for here," Starkiller said to them, "Is a doctor of sorts. Someone who can help deliver the baby safely."

There wasn't much here. It was a small settlement on a dusty planet. There were a mixed multitude of settlers here. Again Starkiller was surprised at how far humans had spread outside the Empire.  
One approached him now.  
"I greet you," he said, bowing low. He had tan leathered skin from years of working outside but bright blue eyes and a bald head. His long coat dragged over the ground, covering scuffed black work boots. "We do not have much here but we will gladly share what we do have. Welcome to Venti."  
Starkiller inclined his head still wary and observed the rest of those gathered.  
"We need a place to settle for a while, if that is permitted?" He glanced at the man's face. The man turned behind him and said something in an unknown language to those behind him. They nodded and he turned back to Starkiller.  
"It is granted. My name is Josiah. We are the followers of Venti and greet you in his name." The entire group suddenly bowed low in their direction.  
Josiah looked at Juno coming off of the ship. "You have need of a midwife?"  
Starkiller tensed up, and then Forced himself to relax. "Actually yes..." Juno smiled at him and then grimaced. Starkiller immediately went to her side. Reaching out with the Force he could sense the pain that was wracking her body.  
"Why didn't you mention it sooner?" He snarled angrily. Em and Proxy were still there by her side.

"My fault," gasped Juno. "They were so far apart I didn't want to say anything until they were closer together."  
"Quickly! Adriannna!" Josiah yelled and a Torgrutan female ran forward and began to assist Juno.  
"I do not believe she will make it to the house." Adrianna observed dryly.  
"Where is it?" Starkiller snapped, and Adrianna pointed to the last house in the village. The furthest away.  
Kaelen exchanged a glance at Laurel and then as one they concentrated on Juno, suddenly she was in the air.  
"What are you... Never mind, you two are geniuses!" Starkiller chided himself for his momentary panic and promising to step up the training of the Jo'Bak girls.

Poor Juno was literally air lifted to the last building on the road.

Laurel and Kaelen ran following behind Adrianna and Josiah as they made for the midwife's home. They gently balanced Juno between them. She grimaced but managed not to give birth on the way. Starkiller keeping behind them managed to keep her steady and up right.  
Adrianna stopped them at the door as they set Juno gently down. "You must wait outside."  
"I'm her husband." Starkiller objected.  
"Just you may enter." Adrianna relented. "I think these," she indicated the rest of the kids, "must wait outside."  
Starkiller turned to Kaelen and Laurel. "Thanks girls, that was quick thinking." He rushed inside leaving them outside as Juno started to had never seen Starkiller look so lost before.

"Droid," Adrianna called. "You also come in."

In truth Starkiller had never felt so helpless in his life. Normally he could have used the Force for solving anything but here he was completely useless except that he could hold Juno's hand.

Adrianna worked tirelessly, keeping Juno clean, forcing Proxy to monitor her vitals. "My assistant is sick," she explained.

BJ and Em were beside them in an instant.  
"Come away." Em said to them.  
"I want to wait." Kaelen said. Laurel nodded but Em shook her head no.  
Josiah spoke up just then. "If you would, we could provide you with a house, or if you want your own? I do believe you will be here for a while."  
"...and no one will be resting for a while." BJ finished looking back at the midwife's small stucco hut. He glanced around.  
"Let's build a house?"  
Josiah looked at him, oddly. "Are all of you Jedi?"  
"Jedi?" said BJ, "None of us are."

Josiah just stared at them. Not understanding.

"Hut?" Em prodded him suddenly. He glanced over surprised she was still there. "Yes, right!" He beckoned them to a yard that was not too far away from the midwife's hut. Inside it were building supplies.  
"We can ferry it to whatever location you choose." Josiah began.  
"No need!" Piped up Laurel. "BJ, catch!" The wood pile was rising off the ground and tossed at BJ.  
"Stop showing off," BJ warned suddenly forcing the wood down. "We can take it ourselves if you want but we don't know anything about where we are except that Starkiller said there were no Force users here."  
"We do know about the Force though," Josiah suddenly interrupted. "We keep meticulous records, although our village here is rather small. I'm afraid what you've run into are mostly scribes or record keepers. We do have a fair number of different races here but we keep records here. We have many ancient texts."  
Kaelen picked up the wood pile again and wordlessly tossed it to Laurel using the Force. Laurel caught it easily and moved it along. BJ shrugged giving in. He pointed towards the trees. We'll take that spot if it's ok.  
Josiah nodded. "Dig a well also. You'll need it."  
BJ looked at AJ and Connor. "You heard the man."  
AJ just rolled his eyes. "Out in the middle of nowhere."  
Josiah left them and BJ glanced over at the spot chosen for them. He'd wanted to get them off of Kelusia because it was a backwater planet but now the plan seemed to be to hide them on another backwater planet. At least they were outside the Empire. And they had friends.


	23. Chapter 23

After 6 long hours a baby boy came screaming into the world. Starkiller looked at the tiny bundle on Juno's chest. His son, not his template's but his own.

"I want to name him Kota," whispered Juno, on the verge of falling asleep. He smiled. The old General was dear to both of them, and Starkiller did not think Kota would mind overly much. He picked up little Kota and held him close.

"Kota Marek," he decided quietly as Juno's breathing evened out. "Proxy," he whispered to the droid who was still standing in the corner of the room.

"Yes, Master?" Proxy said coming to look at the newborn. "I wonder what his primary programming is going to be."

"Never mind that," Whispered Starkiller, "go check on the others."

The Droid left the room followed by Adrianna who gave Starkiller a knowing smile before pulling her hair down and leaving the room as well. Starkiller sat there for the next hour just enjoying the time he knew would come to an end.

The others as Proxy soon discovered had not been idle.

Some of the other villagers including members of Adrianna's family had been pitching in to help make a home. Instead of shock at the Force abilities they celebrated the fact that the building time for a home that would house all of them would not take so long to build.

With Caohdan's help, Laurel and Kaelen had cleared dirt and Proxy managed to put the Rogue Shadow into the ground under the house. "It's where we put all of our ships," Josiah explained. "We try to remain low key, too poor to rob or be noticed by anybody. Not an Imperial credit between us."

The home they'd put on top with Allana throwing in a lot of decorations that she'd hoped Juno would enjoy. Em had smiled at the drawings that Allana had doodled on some of the walls.  
The home was built out of plastoid and some local wood.

By the time Juno was out and walking on her own with Kota in her arms there was a rather large house waiting for her next to the woods. It was a circular hut like the rest but situated between trees with some of the rooms coming out into the branches. "My idea!" Caohdan had explained shyly.

Starkiller had a brief flash of Kashyyk, a round hut with the crest of the Rebel Alliance on it, although it belonged to the Marek family first.

"This is it." He said aloud to himself. "This is where we will face him."

BJ who had been lounging nearby sat up. "Are you sure?"

Starkiller nodded. The house looked so much like what he'd seen in his vision there could be no mistaking it. They'd built it right out of his dreams without even realizing it.

"I'm not sure the Force has been used for construction before." Em said coming up beside them and smiling at the house.

Starkiller smiled at her. "It's been used for a lot of things, at least this was a good cause." He noticed that Josiah was looking at Em. "I think he wants a word from you." He pointed to where Josiah stood. He turned and walked back to where Juno stood with Kota in her arms.

For a few days all was quiet. The kids had the time to pepper Proxy with questions endlessly which caused him to stammer quite a bit as he struggled to keep up.

"Why do you keep talking about your primary programming?" Connor said to him.

"I lost it."

BJ raised his eyebrows at the droid who had accompanied Starkiller. "Your what?"

"My primary programming."

"If you've lost it," said Connor, "Why don't you replace it with a new order or something?"

"I have been trying to replace it," said the Droid wearily. "I have yet to find the correct parts that are still intact."

"I mean," said Connor pointing at him. "What if you simply made your own?"

"My own?" The droid sounded incredulous…for a droid. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"We need a teacher who can show us light saber techniques and you know many." Connor said. "Why not make that your official…. programming…"

"Well I don't know…" Proxy stammered. "I've never thought about it before."

"You are a droid." Said Connor smiling.

"That is true," said Proxy somewhat abashed. "I'll have to seriously consider the manner. It is not incompatible with my form; however, it must be compatible with the wishes of my Master."

He sauntered off.

"That was good thinking." It was Starkiller. He grinned at Connor. "I have been wondering at how to help him."

"How did he lose his primary programming?" BJ asked.

Starkiller was silent a moment… "He fought with a giant computer on Raxxus Prime, it… erased and burned out sections of his processor." He stopped. As always he never wanted to give too much away about his past. He was still confused as to where his template the original Galen Marek started and he, Starkiller, began. The lines blurred especially since he could call up the memories as if they were his own. He used *I* and *he* interchangeably still. Rahm Kota once told he didn't think it mattered. Juno had insisted that his story wasn't over yet, she had to look into his eyes to see him. He held on to that reassurance whenever he felt in doubt.

He looked down to find BJ and Connor both staring at him. He realized he'd been just standing there staring off into space.

"Spacing out?" Connor asked, smirking a little.

"You could call it that." He replied, while BJ frowned at him but remained silent. "Could you, uh, excuse me?" He turned away and started for his room where Juno was resting with little Kota. His son. He slowed, a smile spread on his face.  
His son, not his template's but his.

"What was that about?" Connor asked BJ when Starkiller was out of earshot.

"He was just remembering," said BJ quietly. "When you've tangled with the dark side, sometimes you remember even when you don't want to. You are reminded of it."

It was Connor's turn to be silent, then he clapped BJ on the back. "You are going to have to quit being so serious," he said. "Or one of us is going to find a big wet pond and dump you in it…. just for laughs."

It was such a ridiculous reply to his statement that BJ laughed out loud. He could always count on Connor to lighten the mood.

"We're here on Venti," Connor continued. "Relax try to enjoy life a little."

"You know we're just waiting for the Dark Clone to get here." BJ said seriously.

"Of course I know that," said Connor. "And there you go again, ruining the mood again, seriously as soon as I find a pond, I'm dumping you in it. You're such a wet blanket."

BJ could hear the tension behind the words but he smiled anyway.

"What is it?" Starkiller held up the tiny red fruit in his hand. He'd never seen anything like it before although Kaelen and Laurel had sworn by it.

"It's great!" Kaelen said enthusiastically. Both girls were slowly warming up to the group, initially aloof they'd begun speaking more of their childhood in bits and pieces.

"We raised them." Laurel added, "at least we used to."

Juno and Em had taken them out to the market on Venti. The girls had spotted the fruits and insisted on bringing them back.

"It's a strawberry," BJ added. "You've never eaten one?"

"Never." Starkiller said turning the fruit over frowning.

"Well go on, try it." Said Connor mischievously.

BJ stepped up and popped one in his mouth grinning as he chewed.

Starkiller looked around the group. Slowing he brought the fruit to his mouth and took a bite off the end. It was sweet and he frowned as he chewed not sure how he was supposed to react. His audience watched him anxiously to see if how he liked it.

"It's pretty good," he said slowly looking around.

"You don't like it." Laurel responded.

"I didn't say that," Starkiller protested.

"You didn't have to." Kaelen said. "You either really like them…or you don't."

"That's ok!" BJ said pulling a small bag to the table in front of Starkiller. "We have all of these…" He poured a bag out and a bunch of various fruits and veggies. He beamed, it was the first time Starkiller had seen BJ smile in such a way since his kidnapping.

"….ooookay…" Starkiller said hesitantly. He picked up a small blue fruit and held it up. "What's this?"

"A blueberry!" Laurel and Kaelen chimed, sounding for once like the twins they were…

Starkiller popped it into his mouth. This he did like and he smiled as he chewed.

"And this?" He picked up a large red fruit. "It's an apple." Connor said smiling as Starkiller took a bite.

"And this?"

This was how Juno found them later as she came in. Proxy shadowed her, annoyingly so but she knew that if he wasn't there Starkiller would be. She'd watched them make Starkiller try each fruit and tell them if he liked it or not. He sensed her behind him and turned around with half an orange sticking out of his mouth. The scene was so surreal, so normal looking with him in it that she wondered if she was still dreaming.

He swallowed the orange and jumped up. "Juno. Are you all right?"

"She is an excellent health, master." Proxy chimed in.

"I'm fine, and Kota is sleeping," she responded coming into the room. "I see you've gotten into the fruit?"

"…well I've never had any, they were showing me." He finished, "sorry…. were we saving these?" He held up an orange. "They're…. not bad."

"No," she laughed. It was so good to see them all laughing and smiling together. "I'm glad you like them. Although you probably don't want to eat them all at once."

She thought of what they still were waiting for. But for this moment, laughter filled their house as the kids returned to making Starkiller try the various fruits. It was so good to see him so relaxed.

But they both knew that it wasn't going to last. They could run again she supposed but Starkiller had taken one look at the house and said _this was the place._ She'd never known him to run from anything. He'd faced his darkest fears for her. She could and would do the same for him. Even if that fear was not the Dark Clone himself but rather losing Starkiller…again.


	24. Chapter 24

_You are two sides of the same coin..._

The dream faded into the night. Connor lay awake staring into the darkness. He did not recognize he voice he had heard in the dream. The voice wasn't speaking to him either, but he knew it meant something was coming. Something that would affect them all. He shuddered and wondered... _what was the coin?  
_

Daylight came early in their new home. BJ had awoken as soon as the light had come over the horizon. It was a habit he had from Kelusia. There were birds of a sort cackling outside, and BJ noted the familiar cries of Biktins. Connor will be happy he mused as he turned over to look at his younger brother who was stretched out next to AJ on the other side of the room. Unlike BJ Connor rarely arose at first light but today he looked as though he had barely slept.  
His eyes were open and he was staring at the ceiling.  
"What is it?" BJ said to him in the soft light.  
Connor was startled for a moment and then relaxed. "I had a dream," he said in a low voice. "I don't think AJ shared it with me this time, the last time both of us had, but this time it was just me."  
"The last time?" BJ remembered getting a brief explanation of Connor and AJ having a vision together of how to bring him back to the Rogue Shadow.  
"Yeah," said Connor absently. He looked BJ in the eye. "I don't know what it means. Just that something bad is coming. It felt familiar but evil."  
"Tell Starkiller and Juno," BJ advised. "Let's not wait till it too late."

Connor winced but nodded.

"I've got it!" Starkiller laughed as he caught a ball in the air with the Force. Laurel had thrown the hard stone ball so hard that he had to catch it or it would have put a hole through the wall of the house. Smiling he tossed it lightly to Caohdan who continued to toss it around. Juno lounged nearby with Em and both were cooing over baby Kota.

It had been a blissful few weeks and some of the happiest in Starkiller's memories.

Briefly Starkiller wondered what the old General would have thought if he knew where they were now.

 _Suddenly the ground shifted as a vision came upon him. He was staring at himself with his light sabers in hand. His clone too had his red sabers out and was grinning wickedly. He raised his sabers to attack Starkiller and Starkiller shouted…._

And abruptly was in the sunlight again. The stone ball had dropped on the ground forgotten as the rest of the kids stared at him.

"I…" he said flicking his glance to Connor and BJ who both nodded. "I think it's time we had a discussion…about these visions."

He walked over to Juno who was sitting up alarm stretching across her beautiful features. Em too was sitting up waiting.

The Jorals and the Jo'Baks crowded around in turn.

"An old friend of my named Kota told me once, that a Force vision this strong is rarely wrong." He began looking at each in turn. "I've had visions and in them I've been told that Vader's last apprentice…who is a clone, just like me… He will come for me."

Everyone looked around at each other. "What does that mean for us then?" AJ asked quietly.

"It means," Starkiller said, "That I have to go out and face him."

"Face him?" BJ sputtered.

"Alone?" Connor said at the same time.

"No," whispered Juno, her face was ashen and she clutched little Kota Marek to her chest.

"Absolutely not." BJ said finally.

"There is no discussion," Starkiller said flatly. "I don't know the outcome of the battle."

"Neither do any of us," BJ repeated, "but that doesn't mean you get to go at this alone. We are family now. And if he wants to waltz in here and tangle with us it will be the end of him."

Starkiller smiled, when had they started thinking of each other as family?

"I'm not risking any of you," he said finally. "This is a battle that needed to be finished long before you were born. My battle."

"Our battle." Connor was up on his feet too. "You said he was Dark side, and you've been there. So has BJ. Train us."

"You've already been trained." Starkiller said weakly.

"Train us how to think." AJ said, "we can't afford to just let another dark side assassin pick us up again. You saw the school, the gate."

"You are already more competent with the Force than quite a few Jedi in the records," Starkiller said smiling. "But this is different. This is me fighting myself, fighting who I could have been."

"The vision is here." Connor interrupted. Starkiller looked at him surprised. "It's a gift," he answered Starkiller's unasked question with a wan smile.

Em finally stood up. "So we are going to make our stand here. I'm not as strong in the Force as some of you are but we can prepare as best we can."

"Now wait," Starkiller started, "This isn't you-!"

"Like hell it isn't," said Juno. "I'm not going to let you go off and die for me again."

Starkiller turned and gathered her and little Kota to him. "Nor I you," he whispered as the memory of her flying through a glass window flashed through his mind.

BJ stood, resolute. "It's settled, we fight and die together." The others nodded. There was no misunderstanding as to what death was. All of them had lost someone young in life, death was no stranger to them.

The ship entered the atmosphere of the planet in the dark. It did not make for the primitive landing pad but shot out of the city after marking its position. Its pilot smiled grimly.

He'd found his quarry.

His master would be most pleased…


	25. Chapter 25

Allana sat alone with Em. As the youngest child here, she was often left behind. She idolized BJ until he had been kidnapped. With him gone, she'd become withdrawn. Joran, her father had dealt a blow to her world with his betrayal. Her laughing eyes had dimmed a bit.

Her best friend was Caohdan. But now that BJ was back Caohdan had been spending a lot of time with Jesseye. A boy his age.

Allana huddled next to Em who had an arm around her shoulder. Em too had grown a little quieter since Joran's betrayal.

"What will become of us?" Allana finally asked.  
Em looked at her in surprise, "What do you mean baby?"  
Allana shrugged and leaned out from other her mother's arms. "I mean, what will we do eventually? Everyone will either betray us or leave. Our Dad-" Her voice caught  
"Allana," Em said firmly turning to look at her youngest. "I'm here, your sisters are here, your brothers…"  
"But they will leave," Allana insisted. "Even Starkiller and Juno. They aren't our family. They have their own family. Where do we fit?" She began to cry.  
Em pulled her little girl closer to her again. Six years old and too young to be involved in things like this. Em understood that if the Jedi Temple had still stood she wouldn't have had a child with her as all of them would have gone for training at a young age. Or worse…she would never had met Joran and had her girls in the first place. Her heart sagged when she thought of him.  
Pushing him away she looked down at her youngest daughter again who was sobbing quietly into her side. Em wanted to promise that she'd never leave her. Wanted to promise that she'd always be there for her. But she wasn't sure if any of those were promises that she could keep.  
She sighed and pulled Allana's face up to hers. "Allana," she said. Her voice was solemn. "No matter what happens to us, we are your family. Starkiller and Juno are your family, BJ, Connor, AJ, and Caohdan… and also Jesseye now are your family. Even Proxy is your family." Em smiled at the mention of the robot. He'd been training them all in sword play despite his initial complaints of not having any "primary programming."  
Allana stared her in the eyes and nodded. Em's heart sank as she knew the little girl was not convinced. Em herself was barely convinced herself but they were here.  
"Let's go outside and play." Em said quietly. Allana nodded and turned and ran off. Em's heart sank. She knew right now Allana didn't believe it at all.  
Allana ran down the hall a little blindly. She'd gotten used to the ship and the halls and so was expecting to run out to the outside not crash into Proxy.  
"Oh my!" Cried the droid, bending down to pick her up. "Are you all right little one?"  
"I'm fine," Allana squeaked. She accepted his hand up from the floor. "What are you doing Proxy?"  
"Oh," the droid responded. "I'm going to look through the parts Starkiller picked up planet side."  
"What for?" Allana was as curious as any 6-year-old.  
"I'm looking for my primary directive."  
"Primary directive?"  
Proxy paused. "Purpose, young one. I suppose in human terms it means purpose. My Master told me to be guided by a set of principles once. But I admit it seems easier to just have a Primary directive."  
"Oh, well consider yourself lucky," Allana sighed. "I don't have one. Everything is so mixed up."  
Proxy considered this a moment. "Is it normal for humans to have a Primary Directive at such a young age?"  
Allana shrugged. "I don't think so Proxy. It's why we're lost. We never have one I suppose. Unless we pick one." She paused, thoughtful. Proxy noticed her silence.  
"What is it?"  
"I think I need a Prime Directive, Proxy?"  
"What?"  
"You know, a purpose, everything has been so confusing…everyone leaving. Dad, BJ…. except now BJ is back and we're out here…. I don't know where we are. What are we doing here? What will I do out here?"  
Proxy was the one this time who grew thoughtful. "I don't know the answer to that Allana. But that is what I'm doing, looking for answers."  
Allana suddenly gave a squeal. It was actually one of her habits she was known for before leaving Kelusia. A sudden high pitched squeal of delight followed by her jumping up and down.  
"Thank you Proxy!" She said. Her run off was more of a prance and her blonde curls bounced up and down in her wake.  
Proxy stood for a moment in confusion. "Well," he said to himself. "I do not know what just happened, but it appears that I have helped someone."  
He shuffled down the hall, his metallic shoulders a little squared.  
Allana ran outside. The first person she was BJ.  
"BJ!" He was standing in the sun looking off into the distance. He was a little quieter since his ordeal but Allana still felt comfortable enough to run to him like the big brother he'd always been to her. He turned and smiled at her. "BJ I need a primary directive."  
"A what?" BJ looked surprised. His browed furrowed in confusion.  
"Well Proxy and I were talking…and…"  
"Proxy? Well that explains your terms. What's going on?"  
Allana related the conversation in as much detail as she could to BJ. He grew thoughtful.  
"You know I haven't really thought much about our purpose out here." He confessed.  
"But we have to do something," Allana said. "We are all connected to the Force, Force sensitives. Doesn't that mean we have a reason?"  
"I don't know…" BJ looked off into the distance. "The Jedi seemed to believe it was a mindless source and yet it guides them? If it's mindless what purpose could we possibly serve?"  
"But…"  
"These people on this planet…." He waved his arm. "They believe in the Force…. would you believe that? But they say it's not mindless…well they are confusing really." He shrugged. "I don't know the answer to your question Allana. I don't know why we are here. A few months ago I was taken by a Sith Assassin…they look to themselves. That's their end. I don't know why they build everything up to hold onto power. But the Jedi sought to use it to protect…so they cut themselves off from everything they hold dear."  
Allana was silent a moment. "Is that why Starkiller doesn't want to go back and become a Jedi?"  
"Give up his life? His family?" BJ grinned. "I don't think so. I don't know if I could do it. Everything we've done is because we have each other." He put his arm around her. "Besides there is no Jedi Order now. Maybe someday but not now, the Emperor made sure of that."  
They were silent for a little while after that. The sun began to go down and the two moons began their run across the sky. The stars shone brightly, BJ wondered what they named the constellations here. A flash of memory crossed his mind of when he was Allana's age. He'd lain out with his father while his father described the constellations to them…  
He'd quit looking up at them after his parents had died. But now that he was here…he realized they were really quite beautiful to look at. No small wonder his father had been of talking about them and the worlds contained in them.  
"BJ, I think I know why they cut themselves off." Allana interrupted his thoughts.  
"Why do you think?"  
"It hurt too much."  
"Hurt too much?"  
"Yes," said Allana, solemn. "It hurts to lose our family members…or be betrayed by them. So they cut themselves off to not be distracted. And maybe not to feel pain."  
BJ had winced at her words. For his time away he'd nursed the idea that he'd been sold and just left in the care of the Sith Assassin Bane. To find out that he had been by Joran was a hard blow. He still found himself plotting revenge. Starkiller had told him to leave it alone, and BJ wanted to but somehow it was there at the back of his mind.  
"Maybe that's why Sith like to gain power." He replied finally. "To control everything, so they too know what's going to happen. So they don't necessarily feel pain."  
"BJ," Allana said finally. "I think Starkiller is right."  
"Oh?"  
Allana smiled. "I think I would like to learn the ways of the Force to protect my family, friends, and anyone who needed it. But I wouldn't want to leave you all behind. Or never get married and have a family."  
BJ smiled at her too. "Neither would I little sister. Neither would I."

Jesseye followed Caohdan around. He was 5 too and Caohdan chatted enough for an army of people. He was mostly impressed with the other boy's Force capability. Jesseye himself could do many things but the raw strength that Caohdan had at his 5-year-old finger tips was amazing. He wondered if he was as strong as Starkiller seemed to be.

"BJ told me to imagine a hand slicing," Caohdan was explaining to Jesseye and that is how I did it."

"A hand?"

"Yeah," said Caohdan. "I think of a giant hand slicing that tree and that's what happened."

"You see a giant hand?"

"No!" Caohdan's eyebrow shot up. "It's' not actually there, it's only a pretend hand."

"Pretend? Caohdan you sliced that rock wall in half."

"Well…" Caohdan rolled his eyes. "I do concentrate really hard like BJ tells me."

Jesseye shrugged. He could put a dent into the boulder today, chip pieces off of it even, but Caohdan had sliced it in half. No one else had seen but Caohdan had shrugged it off as normal.

"Aren't you afraid?" He said finally.

"Of what?"

"The Empire coming after us, Starkiller leaving us…."

Caohdan looked at him. "I don't know what you mean. I have brothers who are always there. Why would any of them just leave?"

"Mine left."

Caohdan's simple 5-year-old heart did not understand what abandonment looked like. So he said the next thing that popped into his mind. "We are your family now. Do you know that? BJ gave you the Joral last name. That makes it official."

Jesseye looked at him. "Really?"

"Well yeah," said Caohdan, "There are not so many Joral's running around. There has to be special permission or something."

Jesseye grinned. He still felt like an outsider and he was still angry. Privately he knew they all accepted him but he was still waiting for the bad to happen. BJ had brought him here and given him a new life. "Come on, I need practice."

AJ felt alone for the first time. He knew that Connor had had a vision but his had been different. He'd seen a battle, not the end of it. Just knowing that they would all be involved. He knew that this battle would destroy this world. And there was nothing he could do to save this town, the people who had let them in. He watched it unfold a myriad of times. He'd gone to Starkiller and saw Connor and BJ describing Connor's dream. He kept thinking of each different path they took. Each road led to someone he cared about dying or himself dying, being wounded There were so many possibilities.

"You know," Starkiller's voice sounded next to him startling him out of his revelry. "Seeing the future and trying to grab it is like trying to grab water with your bare hands. There is nothing solid there, but it can still destroy your piece of mind in a huge torrent."

"How did you…." AJ started to ask.

"I've seen that look before." Starkiller muttered looking away from AJ into the distance. The sun was setting and a wind was picking up. Moisture was actually drawing up into the air. He smiled, a storm would always be welcome.

"Where?" AJ asked him quietly.

"On my own face of course," Starkiller responded. "I've dealt with a series of visions that showed a different outcome…I had to choose the path ahead. It was strange watching it happen and then living through it." Starkiller's thoughts were on his encounter with Vader when they were on Kamino. One way would have killed him, the other had spared himself a grisly encounter with another dark clone. But the dark clone was unleashed anyway. He felt a twinge of guilt but there was nothing he could do at this point but prepare.

AJ sighed into the darkening night. "I feel like there will be a moment that I will have to do something big. How do I know when it's there? What choice will I have to make?"

Starkiller looked down at AJ feeling sad for the way the Empire Forced Force Sensitives to grow up quickly. "You'll know," he said. "I did."


	26. Chapter 26

Kaelen and Laurel had been involved in an extensive game of catch when Em and Juno found them. In fact, they had been working so hard that sweat was pouring off of them. Of course they played catch using the Force and the "ball" was a boulder the size of a small house. They looked rather miniscule in their attempts to move it but move it did and with the ease of one who had years of training.

Again Juno wondered with awe at little Kota in her arms who would someday learn to do all of the things she was seeing in front of her.

"Girls let's go!" Em called. "It's growing dark…"

Grinning they dropped their boulders and raced home.

Vader's apprentice located the entrance to Starkiller's home. He was still mystified as to why Starkiller had chosen this place. This planet of all places. It had a low population of mixed outcasts. While it was sustainable there wasn't much to it.

And if the Rogue Shadow ever broke down there would be no leaving this place.

He moved toward the home. He knew Starkiller and the eldest boy were not in the residence. That had left Em, alone with Juno, the infant and the younger children.

She stood as he approached. She'd known he was coming. He could see her face in the dim light as night was falling. There was no fear… only calm.

 _She knows_ , he thought.

Em knew she was about to die. She had accepted it.

What she did not accept was that she would die quietly without giving Juno or the others a chance to escape. She had known she would die the moment she sensed his presence near the home. Em was no match for Vader's new apprentice.

Through the Force she managed to send out "Run! He's here!"

 _Why drag this out?_ The Apprentice thought. There was no need for it. There was a certain amount of respect for an enemy who knew they didn't stand a chance and still stood in the way. He would give her the gift of a quick death out of respect.

At least there was one fighter among them who deserved it. But Starkiller?

He reached out with the Force and snatched Em up by the throat in a tightened grip. Starkiller did not deserve any mercy.

The Apprentice gripped his hand into a tightened fist and immediately there was an audible snap. Em was gone.

Briefly an image from the original Starkiller's memories flushed through the mind of the Apprentice. _"Poor boy." It was the Jedi Shaak Ti, killed by the original apprentice before his discovery by the Emperor. Her voice wafted through his brain. "The Sith always betray one another –but I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough."_

He pushed the thought away suddenly angry with how easily the memory had surfaced. He knew they were what had pushed the clone before him over to the Light. But the Apprentice did not have any reservations about whose memories they were. Briefly he wondered what was the true difference between himself and Starkiller. One had chosen Juno, the other had stayed loyal to Vader. The other's choice seemed to be a weakness, considering the path the apprentice was about to take to finish off Starkiller. He would never let himself fall to such a weak emotion, or become entangled as Starkiller had done.

Juno he reasoned must have been some sort of test. One that had been failed badly.

He would not make the same mistake.

He sensed the sudden anguish by those in the room. Hurriedly he searched for the one he had come to take and by extension bring Starkiller to a field of his choosing.

She was in the front room coming towards the front door. There was no one else in the house only a bunch of Force Sensitive children who suddenly cried out in fright and anguish. Her concern radiated to him but she kept coming towards the door. Right to him.

He opened himself up fully to the Force, letting his presence show even more. Starkiller had to have seen him, had to know he was there. Even the untrained children would be able to see him. The only one flying blind in there was Juno Eclipse.

Juno had seen the crying children and had only gotten one phrase out of them. _Em was gone._

She hurried to the front door with Kota strapped to her chest. The infant was fast asleep until suddenly he woke up and started wailing. She wrapped her arms around him as she moved, there was a sudden quiet in the house.

Juno did not need to have the Force to realize what was wrong. She opened the door hoping against hope that her friend was not gone.

She found Em lying on the ground in a sprawl on her back. Glancing up she caught sight of Starkiller's face staring at her from ten feet away. It wasn't him but the effect of having the exact same face made her dizzy. She didn't move, and for a moment neither did he.

"You are not Galen," she said in a loud whisper to break the silence while he stared at her.

"No," He said in a loud voice, lifting his hand, "I'm not." The Apprentice heard the name. Oddly enough he reacted the same way the original Galen Marek, aka, Starkiller had. A thrill shot through him, this had been his name…his original name.

 _Not mine, HIS._ He pushed the sensation away angry with himself. Aware he was standing there with his hand uplifted and the time was passing by he reached out with the Force. He could sense Starkiller and the older boy, _BJ?,_ returning as swiftly as they could. He cloaked himself within the Force so he was hidden once again. It would take a very talented Jedi to pick him out.

He snatched Juno up with the Force and dragged her along behind him. She clutched Kota wildly as she was dragged along. Wisely she kept silent. There was nothing she could do and while he may have the face of the man she loved he wasn't him and he would never had fooled Juno into thinking otherwise.

Besides he wanted Starkiller on a field of his choosing. He could not bring Starkiller back into the Empire now, the boy had seen to it. He mused on the scene. Not even Vader had prepared him enough for the abilities displayed by the boy Caohdan. He would certainly make a prodigal apprentice. The Apprentice checked himself suddenly as the words of Shaak Ti once again played through his mind. _"Poor boy, the Sith always betray one another. I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough."_

A rock flew up and hit Juno in the forehead knocking her unconscious. She could hear Kota wailing as she slid into darkness.


	27. Chapter 27

Then came the bright while light blurring her vision. Her head ached terribly. A cool towel was being applied to her head and across her temples.

"Galen?" she whispered, his face was there in front of her leaning over her and looking at her with concern. She felt so much relief that she reached for him needing to be held.

He roughly shoved her away.

She jerked up and her head exploded again. Through the haze she began to understand that this was in fact not HER Starkiller.

"Where am I?" She gasped as he watched her from a few feet away.

"Still planet side for the moment." He grinned. "The younger boy took out my engine. Completely sliced it in half. It's a technique I had never thought to use on an opponent. He will make a good apprentice."

 _Caohdan?_ Her brain was starting to clear. She shuddered, the dark clone came over and assisted her to her feet. She was too incredulous to shrink away from him. Nothing made sense at the moment.

"Lie here," he directed her to a small bunk and firmly pushed her down in it.

"Where are the others?"

"Still at home." he responded turning away from her and going to the opposite end of the room where he grabbed a blanket.

Kota was asleep on the end of her bunk. Her relief turned to misery. For the moment they were grounded. But he was so calm. Where was Galen, the kids?

"Why?" She asked shakily.

"Well for starters, I am not equipped to take care of an infant." He chuckled as if sharing a joke. "And also, you aren't a Force sensitive. So as long as I keep your son here there is no need to trap you."

His voice held a grudging admiration when he next spoke. "Those kids fought hard for you. They learned things even most Jedi Knights don't consider using. It would take a powerful Sith to keep them in line all the way across space." The youngest boy had certainly surprised him. He wondered if this was what Vader had felt upon discovering the young Galen Marek on Kashyyk. Someone powerful but still young enough to be molded.

He'd certainly not gone for him as the others had done. While he'd been distracted the boy, _Caohdan was it?_ He'd gone straight for the engines. Simply slice the front right off the ship. The Dark Apprentice had certainly not expected that from anyone let alone someone who was 5. He'd slammed Caohdan from behind and the boy had disappeared during the fight. They'd all fought hard but were truly inexperienced against a real opponent. Perhaps he'd capture the boy and train him in secret.

Still he wouldn't mind taking the Rogue Shadow back anyway. Vader had given it to his template and it was only right that it went back to him. He shrugged. He would simply capture them all and sedate them. The Rogue Shadow was equipped for that, although never used, enemies could be brought back aboard completely sedated to face Vader's wrath.


	28. Chapter 28

"The baby will make a fine gift to my Master," the Dark Apprentice wearing Starkiller's face smiled at her. "He has strength from both parents and will definitely be a Force sensitive. How strong of one yet, I don't know. "

Juno was horrified even though he held the infant with care. Kota did not even realize it wasn't his father cradling him. He'd taken them all with ease. Herself, Em, Kaelen, Laurel, Allana, and Jesseye. Caohdan hadn't been taken surprisingly. Juno didn't know where he was, she worried for the young boy who by all accounts had the strongest connection to the Force outside of Starkiller they'd ever seen.

She and Starkiller had known he would come. She thought she was prepared for this moment but with him holding her child she felt more helpless than she ever had in her life. When she'd agree to leave with Starkiller she thought she was helping to perform a service with the added benefit that she wouldn't have to be parted from Starkiller again. Still believing himself to be a clone he refused to be called Galen. At least by everyone else. Juno called him 'Galen' in private. Mostly because she refused to go back to the routine of him being nameless.

"What a weakness attachment is, isn't it?" He looked up at her, an expression on his face she didn't recognize. "The original Starkiller did admire you greatly. I will not." He spoke the same words back to her that she'd spoken to Galen originally on the Executor. His smirk told her he was simply pulling the memories out at will. Knowing they'd hurt her greatly. And they did.

He strode over and brushed his fingertips lightly against her cheek, his expression guarded. He was so much like Starkiller that she froze unsure of what to do. As much as he looked like him, he wasn't him…

"Perhaps in another time…." He stopped and shook his head. Without saying a word, he pushed Kota into her arms and strode out, leaving Juno confused and frightened.

 _Galen please find me,_ she thought frantically _._


End file.
